Where Nightmares are Made
by LeeHyuna96
Summary: “When you hear the silver sing, come and play at its charming ring. Go with him without remorse, for if you don’t, you’ll go by force.” Donatello discovers that Fairy tales are in fact nightmares that just haven't caught you yet.
1. chapter 1

**Aurthors Notes**

 **Hi every one. It's me, HyunaLeo96. I'm a new author. I also have Glazier Blue here. So this is our new TMNT Donnie story. It has some Supernatural Horror to it, but we didn't skip out on the fluff. Dipicted from the old German story, the Pide Piper...and a few others in there I challenge any of you to look for! lol. Hope you don't get scared easy. But Donnie is in for a rough ride.** **The three of us had a great time doing this. I hope you will all welcome me as the wonderful people I have been told you are.** **And our amazing beta and proofer reader XxTurtetracerxX...we couldn't have done this without her. Thank you girls this has been a blast!**

 **I hope you enjoy and PPPPLLLLEEEAAASSSEEE review.**

 **P.s No we do NOT own any part of TMNT or the character :-(**

Chapter 1: Truth Hurts

Raphael, a teenage mutant ninja turtle, the second eldest of the Hamato clan was out on patrol with his human friend Casey Jones. Well you couldn't really call it a patrol, because much to the hot headed turtle and his vigilante hockey player friend's dismay, they could not find one thing that needed their services tonight. Lately the city of New York has been experiencing some of those rare nights of peace and quiet. No alien Kraang droids have been seen buzzing around the city in there lousy attempts at being inconspicuous identical men in black suits. No Foot ninjas appeared to be hiding in the shadows waiting to leap out like a pack of hungry wolves. None of the Shredder's mutants have been out doing any jobs. Jobs which normally just consist of ticking the turtles off! No purple dragons were spotted beating some poor defenceless bystander. Hell not even any juvenile delinquents appeared to be putting in any effort this week. Nope. Lately the city seemed… in the red bandanna's description, borrrrrring!

"Maybe they're all on vacation?" Casey said slumped down sitting on the roof. Raph soon joining him with an 'I'm fed up' look on his face.

"I don't like it." Raph shook his head. "To quiet means they're planning something. Somebody is planning something and now everyone is quiet, so maybe everyone is planning something. And whatever that something is I just know it's going to really tick me off!" He snapped with frustration.

Casey looked at him. "Dude you just like totally over think things!" He chuckled but shut up when Raph looked at him with an offended expression.

"I don't over think stuff. I'm a doer NOT a thinker. That's Donnie's department. Who needs to think when you have a genius at home ready to do it all for you." Laying the sarcasm on thick.

"Ha. You make it sound like he's your carer or something." Casey chuckled not been able to resist the rare opportunity to get under his skin, but Raph just smirked.

"Yep that's right. Donnie's my carer. He cares so I don't have to care when I do this." He said before shoving the teen hard on the shoulder. The heavy bag on his back making him lose his balance and tipped him quite unceremoniously onto his side. This made the hothead chuckle.

"Dude not cool." Struggling to pull himself up back into the sitting position.

"Wrong it was very cool." Raph continued to chuckle.

"So… moving on. How is the Hamato clan lately?" Casey asked trying to make conversation. Boy they really were bored! Raph sighed. Is this what they have been reduced too for bonding sessions? If talking was going to be the highlight of the evening then he was going home.

"Ok I guess. Sensei's doing rat stuff. Leo's been a pain in the shell as usual. Just don't get me started on Mikey. Ever since the games CONSOL broke, he's been unbearable. He has way to much free time now to think up even more creative pranks."

"Can't Donnie fix it?"

"Yeah in his sleep." Raph smiled. "But he's been too busy moping over April lately. Since school started she's not been over much, not at all really. That makes our resident genius miserable, and you know what they say, misery loves company-" Raph was cut off by the suddenly uncomfortable look that came over the vigilantes face at the sound of Aprils' name being mentioned. "Something you want to say Jones?" Raph raised an eye ridge.

The teen boy shrugged uncomfortably. "Well it's me and April. We've been sort of …well dating. We went out a few weeks ago and it went well. Like really well. Meant to be seeing her tonight actually." The turtle didn't fail to miss the gleam in the boy's eye as he said this, but that was quickly replaced by a slightly guilty look. "April hasn't been around so much because she knows it will bother Donatello." Casey confessed. "We both feel kind of bad about it but….you know, she's so hot and she just can't resist my hockey boy charms." Casey trailed off after catching the look on Raph's face.

The turtle couldn't say that he was surprised. In fact Mikey and him had a pool going on how long it would take the two human's to quit the, sideways stares, at each other and make a move. (Looks like Mikey won.) But this did put the red clad turtle in an awkward position. The genius has had a crush on April since day one. Teasing aside, they had warned Donnie that it was foolish for him to go after anything resembling a human. But still he had no desire to see his brother hurt. This put the hot headed turtle in a very difficult position.

Oh why did he have to ask? How was he supposed to keep this from Donnie and yet not be the one to crush what little dreams his brother had? Even if they were just that…

"Well you kids have fun, but think I am going to head home…now." Raph finally said.

Shoving his sai away into the safety of his belt Raph made to make a quick escape before the conversation got any more awkward and full of Casey's lovey dovey babble.

To his disappointment it was still too early when the red clad turtle got home.

"Dude that is a record of the shortest patrol ever!" Mikey looked up from the couch as his brother walked in. At the same time their eldest brother, Leonardo, was coming through from the kitchen carrying a few plates of pizza.

"Donnie pizza!" The leader called out.

"I'll be right there. I'm almost finished." The frustrated voice of their purple clad brother echoed out from the normally silent abyss of the lab. Leo turned away rolling his eyes. His smart brother had not left the lab all day. The only reason he was coming out now was because Leo had threatened to drag him out if he didn't take a break. Entering the TV room he blinked in surprised to see that his red bandanna brother had returned already.

"Oh hey there. Back so soon?" He asked.

The hothead just shrugged. "You know that expression the 'calm before the storm'? Well I think there could be a hurricane coming because it is waaayyyy to calm out there." Raph said flopping down on the couch beside them.

Leo smirked at his brother's obvious frustrations before passing an extra plate over. Raph wasted no time wolfing it down. "It was so boring that me and Casey actually managed to have half a conversation about… stuff." His cheeks reddened slightly and his mouth slipped downwards into an uneasy expression.

"Did you get out of there before you started braiding each other's hair?" Mikey laughed but then stopped as he saw his brother's nervousness. Mikey was sensing a 'but'. There was a 'but' in there somewhere, he just knew it.

"Oh I know that look. What's the gossip?" he smiled getting a little cheeky. At that Raph leaned in conspiratorially and glanced around, checking that Donnie wasn't in ear shot. Mikey scooted closer on the couch, waiting to hear this obviously juicy secret. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Casey and April have been secretly dating." He said in a hushed tone. Raph hadn't been expecting much of a reaction to this piece of information, so he was a bit surprised when Leo almost choked on his pizza and Mikey dropped his before turning to face his brother, eager to get more of the juicy details.

"CASEY AND APRIL ARE DATING!" He yelled at the top of his lungs!

"Mikey for heaven sake keep your voice down!" Both Raph and Leo rounded on him but it was too late. Not five seconds later their purple clad brother had appeared at the door of the lab.

"What was that?" Donatello was suddenly there. This was the first time he had left his lab today, now only to stand with an expression of someone who was praying he had just miss heard. Raph gave Mikey a glare before getting up to meet his other younger brother. Crap. Crap. Crap…well it was time for some tough love. At least that was one thing the hot head was good at doing.

"Donnie this was always going to happen… I mean you must have known that?" Raph tried to sound comforting but knew he was failing judging from the look on Donnie's face.

"They're dating?" Donnie repeated. "And April didn't tell us?"

"Donnie don't take it so hard." Leo got up going to his side. They hated that look of sadness on him. Those big brown eyes could almost be as heart breaking as Mikey's blue ones when he was genuinely upset.

"Is that why she hasn't been around. She's been with Casey?" Donnie asked in a voice what made Raph not want to answer. But he had to be cruel to be kind. Donnie had to let her go. It would never work between them and he had to accept that. Raph took a deep breath already hating himself.

"Yeah and she most likely won't be back if she thinks you're going to be weird about it. You need to get a grip on this bro. She's human… I mean she's partly mutant but she's human and we are freaks-"

"Raph!" Both Mikey and Leo stepped in.

"No this has been a long time coming. Donnie has to face this!" Raph snapped but his stomach twisted by the look on Donnie's face. "Look I'm sorry to be cold but this crush is only going to end up hurting you. You want April to remain in your life then…then you have to let her go." He really was hating himself now.

Leo quickly diverted his eyes. Though it probably wasn't the best way to do it sadly he did agree with Raph on this one, and Donnie could tell he did too.

"I see." The purple turtle sighed before leaving the group, heading for the entrance without so much as a backwards glance.

"Hey where are you going D? Your pizza?" Mikey called after him. He hated seeing his brothers upset and particularly Donnie. He was the only other who was almost as sensitive as he was.

"I'm not hungry. You have it." Donnie's voice didn't appear to change but they all knew he was upset. Before they could call him back, he was gone.

"Well that was totally harsh dude!" Mikey said, quickly addressing the elephant now growing in the room.

Raph covered his face and groaned before answering. Despite his temper, he hated being a jerk. "You're the one who shouted your mouth off shell for brains." Raph pointed out, keeping to his usual tactic of automatically deflecting his guilt.

"You could have broken it to him a bit better than that?" Leo shook his head disapprovingly.

"Well you didn't do much to help either." Raph argued, choking on a sarcastic laugh. "It…It had to be said, now he can get over it." The red turtle crossed his arms tightly as though he was never going to uncross them again. He did feel bad. Really bad but it was the right thing to do… wasn't it?

"So what if it's true. It's the heart dude. The heart is a soft muscle. One hand and squish!" Mikey explained, pushing his point by gesturing his hand into a tight fist.

"Maybe we should go after him."

"I don't know Mikey." Leo shrugged. "Maybe we should just leave him alone for a while." There was a 10 second pause before they all decided that was a bad idea. Donatello may have been the smartest of the ninja turtles, but he was still a ninja turtle and if turtle luck was anything to go by, this would be the perfect time for something catastrophically bad to happen.

"No. For once I agree with Mikey." Raph interjected, cutting off another lecture from Leo before it started. The fact that Donnie hadn't put up any kind of defence but instead had just stood there looking so broken was eating at him. Donnie always looked so helpless, which was a deciding unsettling look for him. It made him look so much younger and innocent. It was like he was wearing his true expression rather then that inquisitive and decisive brain he always depended on.

Back when they were tots, before all the machines had started calling out for Donnie to fix them, he had been the very quiet brother. This left the little purple tot to be sometimes forgotten. But as they had grown and with everything that they had been through their bond had become unbreakable. And it was those same bonds that were pulling the red clad brother to go after him now.

Raph growled to himself. Why did he always have to be the bad guy? "Besides we don't want him getting into any trouble." Raph tried to sound normal but Leo hadn't missed the slight pleading in his voice.

The leader nodded. "Ok we will bring him back. Use your phone to track him. Reluctantly the brothers put their pizza's down and headed out of the lair to retrieve their clever sibling.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! Me again. Hyuna's here to bring a new chapter. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this.**

 **And thank you guys for all your support. And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.**

 **DISCLAIMER:** **I DON'T OWN TMNT. OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna**

Chapter 2: Doesn't Remember?

Unbeknown to his brothers Donnie hadn't hung around but instead had taken off at a run outside the lair. With his long legs running wasn't exactly a problem. He just wanted some time alone to accept what he had just heard, and running away for a bit was the only thing that seemed to help. He knew running away from his problems was not a good long term solution, but he wasn't after a long term solution. Right now he would settle for a short one. He had been feeling depressed the last few days. Ever since April had started to withdraw from them. Was she bored of them? Was a part of her still angry with them because of what had happened to her father? Had he done something wrong? Was she just making excuses not to come see them? She's even been slacking her training with Master Splinter. But now it turned out that it was because April had in fact made her choice and Casey had won. Well of course he had. He was human, and as much as Donnie hated to admit it, he was a nice guy…

After 15 minutes of running he slowed down to a fast pace, not at all thinking about where he was going. No venturing top side tonight. He had a feeling a run-in with the mutants or Foot ninjas tonight wouldn't do him any good. The turtle just wanted to find a small dark hole to climb into and stay there.

Another 10 minutes passed before his walking slowed down and eventually came to a stop. The tunnels were pretty dark around him now, which suited him just fine. Finding a random step leading into another tunnel Donnie sat down. A cold breeze nipped at his neck sending a chill under his shell. Just by his foot there was a large puddle of water. Donnie didn't care to think about what was in it, but he could clearly see his reflection. The outline of his round face, green skin, and gapped tooth in the distorted puddle just seemed to maximise the cruel and mocking truth of just how much of a freak he really was. Raph was right. How could he even have thought that he had a chance with a beautiful girl like April? He felt so foolish. If only she had found another way of telling him about her and Casey rather than just avoiding them… him. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but he would rather just have her there then not at all.

Donnie sighed sadly. He was a freak and he must accept that. He could pretend to be happy for them at least. Yes. One thing Don was good at was pretending. Pretending that he didn't feel left out. Pretending that he was something he wasn't. Pretending that his heart wasn't breaking… That was something he was good at almost as much as making things.

Lost in thought about the pretty red head, the strange smell that suddenly filled the tunnel caught the turtle off guard. He blinked rapidly as it made his eyes start to sting. Donnie looked up, "What is that?"

Strange smells in the sewers were quite normal, but this one, it didn't seem to belong. The best description he could think of was burning human waste in charcoal. He grimaced as it became stronger, but there was something else about the smell to. It was very… familiar. Where had he smelled that before…? Donnie suddenly gasped as a sound reached his ears! Music? There was music… in the sewers? The Purple clad turtle looked around him… Could be just an echo from the surface. But it wasn't any hip hop like on a radio or anything… No someone was playing a… was that a flute? "Strange," he thought, but Donnie tried not to think anything more of it as he looked about the empty narrow space around him. The sound was quite soothing…. even a little…. alluring.

"I want to be your friend…" A sudden whisper came out of the dark and Donnie almost jumped into his shell.

In one swift move Donnie hopped up and backed away. "Who's there?" He called out. No answer. The turtle looked about him. Having been raised in the shadows all four of them were good at seeing in the dark, but Don saw no one. He quickly went to reach for his bo-staff. He had heard someone whisper he was sure of it.

It was only then Donnie noticed a work man's ladder just a few feet away, which obviously led up to the streets through a manhole. The ladder was very rickety. Not at all secure like the others down here, and yet it looked familiar. Donnie then looked up above him towards the manhole. "I wonder which part of town that comes out too?" He said to himself. If Donnie had had any hairs on his neck they would have been standing on end. Alone in the narrow tunnel, that voice had come from nowhere. Donnie backed away a little. He should go… only, where was he? The turtle looked around. This tunnel didn't look like one of the places his brothers and he have passed through often. Had he been so distracted that he wondered into a place he didn't even know? There didn't seem to be any workman lights, which were normally all over the sewers. In fact this tunnel looked like it had been out of service for years, judging by the grimy and crumbling stone work. The eerie feeling increased.

"Who's there?" Donnie said again as he started to make his way back out of the tunnel.

"Don't go." Said the nothingness again. Donnie gasped. He knew that voice, and with it brought a feeling that seemed to constrict his breathing. There was somebody here. Somebody he couldn't see… What was going on? To his shock Donnie backed out of the tunnel and straight into his brother, Mikey!

"Jeez Donnie you scared me out of my shell!" His baby brother looked a cross between surprised and happy to see him. Raph and Leo were right on his heels. All three were puffing slightly from the exertion of catching up with their long legged sibling.

Had they come looking for him after he had left? A little relieved he looked back down the tunnel where he had just emerged from. The smell still lingered in his nose and the back of his throat. It made his head hurt. But there was nothing to see and no one there.

Donnie placed a hand over his heart. It was pounding. He decided to do himself a favour and blow it off as shock from his brothers just appearing. "How…how the shell did you find me?"

Mikey just held out his phone. "You're not the only one who can use the tracker bro." He declared this while doing a little fist pump, obviously proud of his achievement.

"Ok let me rephrase that. Why are you here? I was on my way back." He asked trying to sound like he hadn't just been on the verge of a panic attack.

To answer his question Raph stepped forward. Rubbing the back of his neck with his eyes glued to the floor. A clear sign that he was uncomfortable with what he was about to say. "Hey bro. I guess I, well I just wanted to say….sorry…! I didn't mean… well I did mean, but I shouldn't have been so harsh." His hot headed brother's attempt at an apology brought an involuntary small smile to Don's face. He really did hate saying them. Donnie decided to be kind and spare his poor brother. After all Raph was just saying it how it was. He could pretend.

"It's ok Raph I get it. I'm a freak. Got to stop fooling myself." Donnie tried to say in a blow off tone. The three frowned. Donnie shouldn't be putting himself down. How did the smart brother have this uncanny ability to make them feel bad, even when he was agreeing with them?

"No Donnie I don't mean that-" Raph tried to protest but his brother had already walked passed them heading for home.

Well that hadn't done much to help ease the tension. Leo gave Raph and Mikey a look before they started following him.

"You sure you're ok Donnie?" Leo asked concerned. He knew his brilliant brother was upset and he wasn't fooled by Donnie's flippant manner.

"Yeah it's just….actually guys have we ever been here before?" Donnie, not at all keen to mention that he was hearing voices, instead decided he would just ask why this place felt so strange and yet so familiar to him.

Mikey looked at him curiously. "Errr yeah dude we are in the sewer all the time. We sort of live in it!" He said as though his Brainiac brother had just forgotten his own name. Donnie frowned, he didn't much like others pointing out the obvious to him, particularly Mikey.

"No I don't mean that. I mean here." Donnie pressed gesturing to the space around him. They were standing alongside the entrances to four tunnels. Apart from being a bit structurally unsafe, nothing appeared to interesting. "I was just down there and it just felt strange. I know we don't use these tunnels often, but it just feels a little familiar here -" Donnie stopped when he caught Leo looking around the place with the same eerie expression he had. Was it just the smart turtle's imagination or was Leo's colour draining from his face? This entire part of the sewers was a lot older than the rest of the labyrinth they used as access to the surface or a hiding place. There would be no reason for them to be here…?

"I think we may have just passed through it once or twice." Leo answered, talking so fast Donnie was sure the words were going to be suffering from whiplash.

"Have we?" Raph looked about him unsure. "By…the look of…it…it's…" Raph trailed off as once again he developed that same eerie look. Lucky Mikey was there to finish for him.

"Oh yeah. I remember this place. It's one of the oldest parts of the sewer. Workmen never liked coming down here because they said it was haunted." Mikey informed them as though he was reading them a story from his comic book. Donnie was just about to say what nonsense that was but that voice he had just heard kept his mouth shut but quickly dismissed the idea. Mikey was about to comment further when he caught the looks from his big brothers that told him he should maybe consider shutting up!

"I…I think we should be getting back. The pizza will need reheating." Mikey started shoving his smart brother back in the direction of home.

"Am I missing something here?" Donnie looked around questioningly at his brother's strange behaviour.

"Nope. Not at all bro. We just want to get home. I'm still hungry." Mikey continued to pull him along but Raph and Leo held back for a moment to exchange a look of uneasiness.

"Out of all the places he could have wondered off too, he comes down here!?" Raph shook his head in disbelief. "You don't think he remembers do you?"

"No I don't think so." Leo said a little too quickly. "He hasn't remembered anything in 10 years. Sensei made sure of it." Leo looked back at the long forgotten tunnel his brother had just come from, and shivered as the memories of a terrible day seemed to come towards him like a ghost.

"Let's go." Leo said quickly gesturing for his brother to follow him.

 **To be continued...**

 **End notes: Poor Donnie... It's kinda cliffhanger. So, Don't miss it. I'll post the next chapter on next week as soon as I can**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story**

 **Please take your time for read/reviewing/favourite/follow this story**

 **Bye bye for now**

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna**


	3. chapter 3

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! Me again. Hyuna's here to bring a new chapter. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Well, this chapter will bring pain. So, be prepare.**

 **P.S: For those followers who don't read chapter 2, you may read it. Well, this site may kinda a bit trouble. I guess.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter 3: Calling

This had started as a nice day for Donatello. When they were 5 years old, playing with his brothers was something he hadn't done very often unless Daddy Splinter encouraged him to do so. It's not like Donnie didn't want to play with his brothers, but it was just he couldn't keep up with them. Fixing the broken gizmos daddy brought home for him to play with was the only thing little Donnie thrived at, and it was the only time that Donnie would feel really good about himself…and well, maybe it was because of that his brothers didn't want him playing with them anyway. That's what he told himself. Outside meals his brothers barely spoke to him…. but today was different. Today they had asked him. Relentlessly asked him to come into the sewers to play with them, and he was secretly delighted.

The four little turtles ran down the tunnels chasing and tagging one another. Slipping and sliding down the pipes, turning one corner and then another, but before long little Donny looked around noticing something.

"Hey bro's I think we've gone too far out. Dad has never brought us here -"

The three brothers just laughed at him. "We come out here all the time Donnie. You wouldn't know that because you always have ya' head in a book!" Raphie said quite convincingly. Donny looked about him nervously at the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Chill Donnie we know where we are." Mikey led his purple brother further down the tunnel, the red and blue brothers in toe. Soon they all arrived at a large cross section, cutting off into four long tunnels. Each one looked as daunting and spooky as the next, but eager to please his brother's Donnie smiled. "So what are we doing then?" The three looked at one another.

"We hear stories you no. from the surface. They say this is the oldest part of the sewer." Raphie informed him in a creepy voice as though he was reading a Halloween story to him. "See these four tunnels here?" Raphie pointed. "They say there haunted. There dead people in the cemeteries, there spirits use these sewers as a way of getting around instead of the surface." The little red turtle tot was finding it hard to keep a straight face from the look of terror on his even littler purple brother's. Of course Leo and Mikey was having no such luck as they looked away from him repressing a laugh. "But we're not scared. We been down them lots of times. These four tunnels lead to the same place. We each take one and race it to the end. First turtle there wins!" Donny looked uncertain. Ghosts?? There were no lights down this way. He could walk off the edge of a drop off and he wouldn't know. "You're not scared of the ghosts are you Donny?" His brothers teased him.

"No of course not… it's just"

"Oh come on Donny have some fun. It's just a stupid story." Leo patted his shoulder reassuringly while slyly winking at the others. Though his insides burned with fear and every nerve in his body was to freeze and stop the mussels from moving forward, Donny still smiled silently confirming he was on board.

"Good. Now there are a few slip passages all the way down on right side, but stay on the main path and we'll all meet at the end." Raphie nudged him forward as one brother took their position at each individual tunnel.

"Yeah totally safe." Leo agreed.

"Ready. Steady. GO!!!" Mikey shouted and the four of them took off.

His little heart was pounding the entire time. His feet splashing in the muddy water making him slip. Donnie didn't want to show them that he was afraid. If he did they would never let him play with them again…. but it's ok… he could see the end of the tunnel. He would be back with his brother's any moment now…

Coming to a stop he expected to see all of them waiting for him, but none of his brothers were there. He was alone. Had he won the race? That would be a first.

"Hello!" He called out down each of the tunnels. "Leo?" No sound but the wind. Donnie called again. "Raphie? Mikey!" He waited to see who would emerge first, but none of them did. Why weren't they here yet? Had he taken a wrong turn down the slip tunnels…? What if…what if something had happened to them…?

Donnie's breathing hitched as he started to panic. He started making his way back up the tunnel, which now seemed even scarier. He could hear them, his brothers. They were back at the beginning of the tunnel…they were….laughing? The echo of them laughing was all around him.

Suddenly the little tot cried out as an invisible force began to take hold of him… shadows were surrounding him…something dragging him away. "Leo! Raphie, Mikey! Daddy help me!"

….Then….music! There was playful, even beautiful music. It took the fear away…it took everything away, even his will to fight… It felt like being suffocated, but with a soft warm pillow…

"No! This isn't real!" Donnie closed his eyes tight pushing the music back and praying for it all too just go away! To be somewhere safe…. With that the danger seemed to fade, along with his brothers childish laughing.

When Donnie opened his eyes again he wasn't in the tunnel anymore. He wasn't a tot anymore either. He was 16 years old again and standing safe in his lab. The mind numbing terror was gone as the turtle breathed a sigh of relief. He was home and in his one true domain…. But the relief didn't last long before the ground beneath him began to shake. His half-finished gadgets and gismos crashed to the floor as a terrifying roar reverberated through the space.

"Guys?!" Donatello called out. He put uncertainty in his voice that would normally draw his family towards him, but Donnie still found himself alone. The purple-clad turtle turned back to his nightmare... Suddenly the floor in the centre of his space ripped wide open. He fell back narrowly avoiding falling in, but not able to escape as a swirling darkness of shadows bled forth from the hole under him. It was chasing him! His nightmare was actually chasing him!

"The darkest night, on the darkest street,

You'll hear the shuffle of his haunted feet.

You'll see him immerge from his endless maze,

With a coat to set your eyes ablaze.

Then you'll hear the silver sing,

Come and play at its charming ring.

Go with him without remorse,

If you don't, you'll go by force."

The many shadows chanted at him in a chilling children like voices. Then something glinted in the sparking electricity that seemed to dance from the dozens of crumbling projects that were cutting out all around him. Something YELLOW…the same colour April normally wore, but it wasn't her. It was something else… He shuddered as the form loomed over him with a cold laugh that chilled the ninja to his core, even beneath his plastron. The walls of his lab had transformed. The once strong fortress was now covered in mould and crumbling bricks that stank with that intoxicating burning waste smell. He tried to back away, reaching for his bo staff, but the figure grabbed it in his claw and to the turtles horror, his weapon shattered. He was defenceless. The helplessness soaked through him like water. Terrified of the shadow man he raised his hands up to try and stop him, however pointless it was.

For one second Donnie was distracted by his own hands…these were NOT his hands. They were….human! Small like a child. He felt himself go pale, Donatello had never been a coward, never one to run away from a fight, but he knew as the shadow wrapped his cast iron hand around his suddenly much smaller body, squeezing at his neck, he knew he was dead.

Donatello suddenly sat up in bed, hyperventilating. The darkness of his room fooling him to believe he was still in his nightmare. He could feel the sweat trickling down his head. His mouth stone dry, but that didn't stop him from letting out a low scream. He didn't know why he yelled. Maybe it was just to confirm that nothing was preventing him from calling out.

"Donnie?" Mikey had heard him cry out and had instantly come running to his side. He stared down at Donnie with that concerned head tilt he's perfected over the years. "What's wrong D?"

"I don't know Mikey! It's chasing me! And the music…I can't..! I don't know. " He sobbed trying to use his trembling hands to hide his face.

"What's chasing you?" Mikey took the two steps needed to cover the distance between himself and his brother before wrapping his arms around him. Suddenly more sounds came from outside the door and the main ceiling light flooded up the room.

"What's going on?" It was Leo.

"Donnie's upset…. Dude your like shaking?" Mikey tried to sooth him, but he was still gasping. Leo was already at Donnie's other side.

"Hey… Donnie look at me, tell me what's wrong." He demanded.

"I – I… don't… k-know… am – am just can't br-breathe!" The normally comforting arms of his brothers felt suffocating. Donnie yanked himself away from them only to curl himself up in a ball trying to protect himself by some unseen attacker. He was scared, genuinely terrified, but he didn't know why.

"What the hell is all this noise?" Raph tiredly groaned as he appeared in the doorway.

"Donnie -he's just having some kind of…attack." Leo said while rubbing Donnie's shell, still trying to calm him. With that Raph marched over shoving Mikey aside.

Great now they were all here fussing over him. Donnie felt so stupid, and yet he just couldn't bring himself to look at them as their cruel childish laughter still rang in his ears. What was happening to him? It was as though all his surroundings were just phasing out…as though the nightmare itself was still chasing him… But, he was awake now right?

"Donatello look at me!" Raph demanded, but Donnie's colour just kept draining away like water. "Yo! Bro what's wrong with you?" Raph shook him a bit. Still nothing. The brothers were starting to feel quite alarmed as they watched his eyes glaze over, staring off into space.

"….. immerge from his endless maze, coat… set your eyes ablaze." Donnie started muttering strange words in a voice that didn't at all sound like his own. "….hear the silver sing, come and play at its charming…..ring."

More than a little freaked out now Raphael decided it was time for more drastic measures. "Donnie wake up!" Raph yelled at him.

"Raph we tried that already." Leo said debating whether or not to go and fetch Master Splinter. But a twinge of panic had already set in as Donnie continued muttering to himself. Raph, not one to waste time thinking about what they could do, did the first thing that came to mind.

"Sorry little Bro." The red turtle said before pulling his brother up and slapping him not so lightly across the face!

"We didn't try that!" Mikey said in surprise, but Leo yanked Raph back.

"Raph what's wrong with you?" He yelled, but it had had the desired effect as Donnie blinked, and for the first time, actually looked at them.

"W-what?" Donnie blinked again. They could almost see the lights switch back on in their Brainiac's head.

"Donnie? Bro you like completely spaced out, and then you started muttering creepy poems?! Seriously dude no more horror movies for you!" Mikey explained affectionately patting his brother's reddened cheek.

"Did I?" Donnie looked around the room as though he couldn't even remember where he was. It was then he admitted to something. Something the purple clad turtle had NEVER in his life admitted to before. "Guy's I think somethings wrong with me."

At this statement the three brothers sat up in nothing less than surprise. They already knew something was wrong with him, but in the past Donnie could be dying of the plague and would still try to shoo them off, declaring it a light cold. For Donnie to say that something was wrong instantly sent a wave of fear through all three of them. Raphael, despite himself, instantly took his baby brother into his arms squeezing him protectively.

"It's ok little bro we got ya!" Raph reassured him.

"Can't you hear that?" Donnie asked still not trying to hide the panic in his voice. The brothers looked at him questioningly. "Music! Can't you hear it? What's wrong with me?"

"Donnie ssh... It's just a nightmare. It will go away." Leo patted his shell reassuringly, but the others could tell he was as completely bewildered as they were. When Donnie's shaking didn't appear to be ceasing the brothers decided to stay the night. "Mikey go grab our blankets and pillows would you?"

The orange clad turtle nodded and took off leaving his two older brother's to watch over Donnie. Donnie was quiet now, but he still looked as though something was hiding under his bed waiting to attack him.

"This can't be just about April." Leo asked, but it wasn't a question, Donnie just shook his head.

"No it's nothing to do with that." He said with conviction, but what were the brothers supposed to think? The clever turtle had always managed to look anything scary or threatening in the face and see the fear for what it was. But his crush on April had been the only time in years that the brothers had seen him so….for lack of a better word, vulnerable, and it worried them.

It didn't matter how caring Donnie was towards them, when he was in pain his lips were tighter than a frozen jam jar.

Leo, jumping back into the conversation with newfound determination, reached for his brother's chin, making Donnie look up. Carefully Don pulled himself away from his hot headed brother, following the light tug of Leo's grip. "Donatello whatever is going on we are going to figure it out." The leader promised before lying down nearest to the wall as Mikey re-entered, arms full of bedding. Raph grabbed his pillow and laid himself out across their feet while Mikey curled himself up beside Donnie. Lucky the bed was big enough for all of them… just about.

But as the three gave in to their tiredness Donnie was fighting to keep his eyes open as he watched something large making its way across his ceiling. His breathing caught as he stared up at the murky stone. It moved above him like a spider stalking a fly. The turtle gasped as he heard it growl. In a blink of an eye it had moved across his ceiling, hanging just above his head looking over him, then it was gone.

"It's just a nightmare. My crazy imagination…" Donnie told himself curling tighter into the safety of his brothers. Tomorrow he knew he was going to have to explain this to them, but how could he if he couldn't even explain it to himself?

 **To be continued...**

 **End notes: Donnie won't have good days :'(**

 **FYI: I'll have big exams for 2 Saturdays and 2 sundays, so I won't post next chapter on next weeks. I still don't know when I'll post it. So just wait kay?**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story**

 **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story**

 **Bye bye for now**

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! I'm back again. After having an exhausted weeks, I'll bring a new chapter. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.**

 **Sorry if I'm gone for a long time**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Four: News Report

The next morning Donnie quickly got up and made his way to the shower room before any of his brothers were awake. Last night he was to shaken to think about the embarrassment of having a nightmare, and then having to be held all night by all three of his brothers in a turtle made nest. But the stupidity of it all was in full force.

The smart turtle lingered in the shower for almost 15 minutes as though he was trying to wash the nightmare itself out of his brain. He couldn't let this get out of hand. It was just a dumb nightmare. Yes maybe the news about April had taken him out of his comfort zone, but this was nothing he couldn't handle right?

By the time Don had gotten out of the shower and gone to the kitchen to make himself coffee and a bowl of Shredded Wheats, movement could be heard from inside the Dojo. Voices told him that Leo was in there speaking to sensei, obviously about him. Great! Donnie made his way over to the TV. Might as well see what disasters were plummeting the world into madness this morning.

As he watched the morning news Donnie was mentally preparing himself for the round of cross questioning he was sure he was going to get. He expected questions. Hell! He expected a near-on interrogation.

Whenever something was troubling one of the Hamato clan the family had a pretty set routine. One at a time the brothers would approach whoever was troubled and try to get him to talk. Each brother had their own strategy. Like a leader should be, Leo was always the most direct with his thoughts and concerns. Mikey (unlike Leo and Splinter) wasn't good at taking a hint and leaving any of his brothers alone long enough for them to drag their thoughts together properly. But at least Mikey was comforting when he did it. He, Donatello, was usually the clear problem solver. As such he was normally the first to confront any of the others about a problem. But as it was he who had the problem yesterday, he guessed it wouldn't be long before Leo turned up with that understanding smile.

Most of the time the brothers caved before they reached the wild card, Raphael. The hot headed brother's technique of cornering them was…well, painful. Master Splinter was often the last resort, if they didn't willingly go to him first. But how was Donnie supposed to open up if he didn't really know what he was upset about?

"And in local news a young boy has gone missing…. Seven year old Bobby James was reported missing last night after walking home just two blocks from a friend's house. So far the police have no leads except the area Bobby was last seen in."

At this Donnie looked up at the screen to see a photo of a smiling boy, a round face with big brown eyes and dark chestnut hair. Then the photo was replaced with a clip of a sobbing mother holding the picture like it was her very last link to her son. That yanked at Donnie's heart strings with the force of an iron grip. Donnie didn't have much experience with children, (besides Mikey) but even he couldn't ignore how this made him feel. Children being snatched off the street, even in daylight, never to be found. It was just too horrid to even fathom. Anyone who could hurt a kid was indeed the worse type of person.

"The street the locals have named 'Piper Avenue,' has repeatedly been searched and staked out over the last 11 years. But even with all this effort at least 9 children have gone missing in this vicinity. The search continues and the police are appealing for any new information." The report finished swiftly moving onto the weather.

"The Piper." Donnie repeated. He knew the reason for the seemingly random name. They were comparing the disappearances of the children to an old German kid's story. 'Bless Google.' Donnie thought as he tried to recall the tale. It was actually called the Pied Piper. A man travelled to a town that had asked for help. The people were overrun with rats that were carrying the black plague. The town was called…..what was it? Hamelin! Yes that was it. Hamelin was overrun with sickness and diseases. Until a strange man with a brightly coloured coat and a pipe had appeared saying he would take away the rats for the reward money. With the help of his… his pipe obviously. The stranger played the musical instrument and somehow the rats suddenly decided to come out of their hiding places and follow the man out of town and into the river. Which is not at all possible scientifically speaking.

All should have ended well, but after the job had been done the towns people had refused to pay the Piper what they had promised. Swearing revenge the piper then returned and played his pipe again, only this time it was all the children who came out of their homes and began to follow the stranger through the streets, out of the town, and into a valley. The mountain magically opened revealing a cabin. The children followed him inside and the stone closed behind them never to be seen again… Accept one little crippled boy who couldn't keep up. When asked the boy had claimed that somehow through the music, the piper had promised to take the children away to a land of paradise where they could always play and eat and never suffer ever again.

However over the years different versions of the story had written the Piper's character as having much more 'sinister' motives for taking the children.

What a disturbing, yet sad story. Lucky that's all it was.

Donnie shook his head….and no, he hadn't failed to notice the similarities between that story and what was happening to him now. The missing children, the flute music he had heard. But the logical scientist in him was quick to remind him that it was just a story. Like in those brothers grim dark fairy tales. Fairy tales were to teach children life lessons. Like never trust a stranger, or never be too selfish. Always be good or some mysterious malevolent force will turn up and make you pay, sometimes with your life… Basically kids having to learn that reality wasn't a fairy tale, through fairy tales…? How ironic that parents could use this method to plead naïve innocent's to their cruelty. Obviously he wouldn't point out the comparison in front of his brothers either. It just sounded to mad! No, there had to be a more rational explanation for this…? Such as…..? Like maybe he was mad! His best bet was to start with some research, see if there really was any connection. Hopefully he would find a reference to something more plausible before he was forced to venture off into the scarier side of his 'list of possibilities.'

"I hate it when reports like this are on." a voice said behind him interrupting Donnie's debate of sanity. It was Leo, right on cue with that warm smile.

"How you feeling?" The blue clad turtle asked making his way over.

"Much better thanks." Donnie lied. "It's just watching this stuff, makes me feel kind of useless. We patrol all the time and yet this still happens. It's not right."

Leonardo sat down. "New York is pretty big bro. We can't be everywhere at once. Would be nice if we could. I would very much like to get my hands on whoever is behind those kids vanishing." Leo could almost see Don leafing through the encyclopaedia that was his brain to try and find anyway they could be covering more of the city at once…but alas he knew there was none. Even if they split up they could only do so much. Plus with the likes of the Shredder and his army of mutant and robots, splitting up was never a good idea.

A short pause followed as Leo's preselected words were being prepared for the pep talk he was about to lay on his brother. Donnie, knowing what was coming and keen to deflect it, had his thoughts turn a one-eighty as he went from trying to figure out how to save helpless children, to how to stop his older brother from going on a nag fest. Sadly it seemed that Donnie had lost his thinking power. However looking down at his forgotten cereal a small pathetic idea struck him. Well he was desperate and embarrassed, so…?

"Donnie last nig-" Leo started but Don cut him off.

"- Well this bowl of Shredded Wheats has lost anything that was good about it. I now have a healthy and nutritious bowl of shredded wheat paste. I'll get some more before class." The purple turtle stood up making a quick escape back to the kitchen.

"Stubborn turtle!" Leo sighed in frustration. It was stupid to think that Donnie's defences would still be low enough for him to open up. Nope, classic Donnie was back and his lips were tighter than ever. Thinking he can fix himself like one of his machines. But last night had been nothing less than disturbing, if not a little scary. No! Leo decided. After speaking to Splinter this morning the rat had decided that he would jump ahead and speak to Donatello after class, and if he tried to deflect it Donnie would answer to all of them. Something was wrong and he wasn't hiding away from this, not this time.

 **To be continued...**

 **End notes: Okay, not really dramatic. But cliffhanger. Again. I hope I can update the new chapter on next week.**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story**

 **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story**

 **Bye bye for now**

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**


	5. chapter 5

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! I'm back with a new chapter. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support. And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)** **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS** **With Love and Hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Five: Remember Him!

As the four brothers entered the dojo ready for the morning lesson, Donnie didn't miss the sideways glances he was getting from his brothers, or the look of concern from his father. They were going to make a fuss of him he just knew it.

"Morning my son's. I hope we are all feeling quite well today?" Splinters eyes lingered on his third youngest for a moment.

"Yes Sensei." They all said. Donnie's voice in particular was above what was considered the usual 'Donatello' range.

"Then we shall begin." Master Splinter then immediately began informing his sons that they would be having an easy sparring class today. "Leonardo you shall spar with Donatello. For the first half I want you to practice your skill in hand to hand combat only. Raphael you're with Michelangelo, weapons are permitted. We shall all finish with meditation." Raph groaned. His little brother had a habit of winding him up when they sparred together, and by the look on Mikey's face Mikey knew he did too.

"Hajime!" Splinter called and it began.

It started without a problem, although Donnie didn't have to wonder why Leo and he were doing hand to hand. Their master was making sure that his eldest brother held back so that he could handle himself today. It frustrated the smart turtle to think that his family thought he was weak! If only he could get this nightmare out of his head…the sound of laughing in the darkness…the entrancing flute music–

"Donatello focus!" Splinter's voice snapped Donnie out of his daydream as he narrowly avoided Leo sweeping him off his feet. With one spacy Donatello and two worried eyes watching the confused turtle the three calmer members of the Lair didn't notice as Mikey and Raph's sparring behind them become a little heated.

"Oh yeah Raphie! You can't beat the master of hot-nunchaku-fury!" Mikey exclaimed as he swung his twin Nunchaku.

This earned Mikey a smack up the backside of the head from Raph, who had migrated towards his younger brother in anticipation of him saying something stupid.

"Stop talking! Or I'll beat you senseless. And DON'T call me Raphie!" the hot head growled.

Raph knew that the orange turtle was only teasing him because he knew, that Mikey knew, that if he could get him angry enough Raph would make a mistake, allowing him a chance at a victory blow. But the red turtle wasn't having any of that, not today. Instead he held back, waiting for Mikey to strike him before hooking his Sais through Mikey's Nunchaku and violently yanking it out of his hand. Without looking, Raph flung the Nunchaku across the room and right into the side of his smart brother's head!

It all happened so fast. "DONNIE!" Leo shouted for him to duck, but it was too late as the hard stick and chain made contact just above Donatello's temple. The purple turtle had been so distracted that he didn't even know what had hit him. The next thing he knew was that he was on the floor before he felt the pain, and then, oh boy, did he feel it! The last thing he saw was the shocked and horrified look on his father and brothers faces rushing over to him and then ….the tunnel! He was back in the tunnel racing his brothers to the other end, but they weren't waiting for him when he got there.

"LEO! RAPHIE! MIKEY!" The little tot called out into the darkness but he was alone….wait. No. No he wasn't alone.

"LEO! RAPHIE! MIKEY!" The little tot called through each of the tunnels. He should just get out of here. Quickly he started to make his way back. Why were his brothers not there? They didn't get to hang out with him that much, was this their idea of fun? No….they wouldn't just leave him alone in a strange place.' Something must have happened to them,' Little Donnie worried when…his thoughts were abruptly cut off by a figure that had come out of nowhere, moving in the dark in front of him. Someone was here!

Donnie froze on the spot, like their father had shown him to do. There was nowhere to hide, but it was pitch dark and the unknown person had not seen him as of yet. It wasn't his brothers he was sure. There was just one person and whoever it was much taller than he was…and…it had a bright yellow coat.

"Who's there?" A deep voice said. "I heard you shouting! And I just heard your footsteps. I know you're there." His voice didn't sound threatening. It sounded scared.

The little tot was sure that the man could hear his heart pounding. But the little turtle's eyes were more use to the dark. He could tell by the size and shape that it was a human! A man. He hadn't been here when Donnie had come through a short time ago? How had this man gotten here so fast? Donnie was careful not to move as the ankle-deep water swished around his feet. He had never seen a human up close before, instantly his curiosity sparked to life. His dad had talked to them a lot about being wary of humans, to make sure that they knew never to be seen by any of them.

But what was a human doing down here? Donnie still didn't move nor did he breathe.

"Please. Are you there? I don't know where I am. Please help me?" The figure sat down on the cold wet ground completely defeated. The fear in his voice tugged at Donnie's heart strings. The man was just lost in the sewer. He would never find his way out of here, and there was no way Donnie could get passed him without being seen. His little heart started pounding as he listened to the man begin to cry. He couldn't do this….he couldn't just leave this lost soul here alone.

"I'm here." He whispered braver than he felt. At that the man stopped crying and looked up towards the sound.

"I thought I heard little feet. Please come closer." He whispered desperately.

Donnie hesitated. He couldn't let a human see him. "Are you lost? I can tell you a way out."

"What's your name?" The man asked in a meek voice.

Donnie still didn't approach him, but he wanted the human to trust him. "Donnie." The little turtle replied.

"That's a nice name. They call me Robert. Please come closer. You're not afraid of me are you?"

Donnie shuffled uncomfortably. He was afraid because he knew the man might try to hurt him if he saw that he wasn't human. "I'm not afraid." the turtle lied. "But you might be afraid of me. I can tell you how to get out if you will follow me."

"I'm not afraid of you. I've seen you little guys running around down here before. I know you're not human…your baby turtles. I want to be your friend." The man came a little closer towards him. Donnie froze. The man had seen them? He had seen his brothers before and he wasn't afraid?

Against his better judgement the little turtle stepped closer. Just close enough for the man to see him. There was no reaction on the man's face. No fear, but joy.

"Magnificent." was all the human said as he looked the little turtle over. What really unnerved Donatello was when the man smiled at him. He had really bad teeth! "I did hope to meet one of you. I have so many little friends, but none like you…. Do you want to be my friend Donnie?"

"You've seen us before?" The little turtle swallowed nervously.

"Oh yes. I come down here a lot. There's a few of you little guys running around isn't there. I wanted to make friends with you all." He replied with glee.

This didn't sit well with Donnie. Their father had said to never trust a human. This had been a mistake. He should show him the way out and just go home and warn his father that there was a man down here that had seen them.

"I really have to go. If you follow me, I can show you how to get out of here." Donnie tried to walk passed him but the man stepped in front of him. Donnie could see his face clearly now. The man had a scruffy dark hair. Unshaven and his had clothing was dirty, except for the bright yellow rain coat he wore. Donnie looked up at him. He only came as high as the human's knee. The man knelt down in front of him, blocking his way, it was only then that Donnie became aware of just how much bigger this man was in comparison.

"I live in a magical place. There are lights and lots of music. It's where dreams are made. The children love it. Would you like to come play with them little turtle?"

"No, sorry I have to go." Donnie was scared now and tried to shove passed, but the man stopped him by grabbing his arms from behind. "NO! Let me go!" Donnie tried to yell. He started struggling but the man was pulling him backwards, back down the tunnel.

"Leo! Raphie, Mikey! Daddy help me! " He started to cry as a hand came around locking over his mouth. The man was a lot bigger than he was and stronger than he looked.

"They're not coming for you. They don't want you so they sent me to get you!" He whispered in his ear slit as he tried lifting him up but Donnie's shell was too heavy.

No! No that wasn't true. His brothers would never give him away… But where were they? Why had they just vanished?? Donnie struggled harder as he was pulled back, the rocks on the ground cutting into his feet. His little heart pounding so much he thought he was going to choke on it. Tears started to blur his vision as a corner appeared in the side of his stinging eyes. This man… Robert was dragging him down one of the side tunnels. In one last desperate attempt Donnie bit down on the man's hand, struggling hard as he took another breath. "Help me I'm scared!" Donnie cried out.

But then in the darkness from back up the tunnel…an echo of his three brothers… laughing filled his ears.

Nothing. Then there was nothing.

Pain. A lot of pain was throbbing on the side of his head which seemed to get worse with the voices that were getting louder.

"Donnie? Donnie wake up!!" The voice sounded worried. It was Leo. At that his eyes snapped open and he saw Master Splinter was leaning over him. His long fingers brushing across his head.

"Donatello? My son you seemed to be experiencing some horrific vision..? You weren't responsive to our voices." The faces of his three brothers swam into view. Raph in particular looked worried.

"Bro, I am sorry. I didn't… I wasn't aiming for you… I'm sorry." Raph muttered quickly.

"What's going on with you bro? Is Donnie ok??" Mikey had asked that question many times now and he'd put more emphasis on it every time, hoping that someone could give him a straight answer. He knew Donnie was most definitely NOT ok.

Splinter looked at his hot headed son disapprovingly before looking back to see a disturbing look cross over the purple turtles face.

"Donatello what is wrong?" He asked. Donnie was shaking and any remaining colour had drained from him as he looked at the four of them. His free hand grabbed his head. He shook it trying to relieve the pain but it wasn't working.

"I…" Donnie tried to say.

"Donnie, what's wrong? Please tell us!" Leo asked with a frown, oblivious to how weighted that question really was.

"I remember!" Was all he said and confusion quickly swept over the group. His clarification plunged all of them into silence as each of his brothers contemplated exactly what that meant. "I remember what happened in the sewers when we were five?" Ignoring the pain he sat up looking at them all accusingly. "I remember everything?!"

 **To be continued...** **End notes: You see, finally Donnie can remember. I hope I can update the new chapter on next week. So please stay on with me :D** **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story** **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story** **Bye bye for now** **With Love and hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! I'm back with a new chapter. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.** **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)** **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS** **With Love and Hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Six: Trauma

"My s-?" The rat was about to ask Donatello about his last statement, but instead he trailed off as his eyes landed on his son's neck. "Donatello where did those marks come from?"

"Marks?" Donnie quickly placed his hands up to his throat. The flesh around his lower jaw was tender.

"Bruises in the shape of…. finger prints?" The rat said, now quite alarmed.

"I…I don't know…" Donnie said quite sincerely. Master Splinter's eyes, always so full of understanding for his sons, were touched by a great deal of worry. Fearing the worst Splinter began to try and coax Donnie to open up.

"It wasn't m-me… I don't… think." Donnie Hesitated before the realisation of what this looked like came over his eyes. "I didn't do this to myself….it was HIM!" Donnie stated quite accusingly… Only no one had any idea who 'Him' was.

A silence had fallen over the group. A stunned and deafening silence. That was all the answers Donatello needed to know he hadn't just had a nightmare. It was a memory. A terrifying memory of being abducted… Though a memory didn't really explain this recent inexplicable injury suddenly appearing on his neck.

That aside, had being kidnapped been so traumatic for him that he had actually pushed it out of his mind for the last 10 years? Now everything was coming back to the turtle so fast that he couldn't keep up with it. The man called Robert had taken him deeper into the sewer, carrying Donnie over his shoulder and down a shaky ladder. There was a caged door at the bottom leading to a long narrow chamber. Where the man had kept him in a small room built of stone with a caged door. In fact there was caged doors everywhere running along the wall…. Green lights! The tunnel was so dark because the only source of light were from small green lamps. Then there was the music…drawing him in, whispering in his ear, soothing him against his will. He remembered trying to fight it. But the more he did, the more the sound consumed him. As though falling into a black hole, drifting further and further away, until even breathing was something he could barely remember how to do…? He had gone somewhere…he couldn't quite remember where, only that it had been beautiful and yet terrible.

He also remembered how he had escaped. The cage door had not been difficult to pick, and the place was so rotten anyway that getting free from his crumbling prison had been quite easy. But he didn't even know if any other victims had been there. He had just told himself to run! Run all the way home without looking back.

The look of shock on all their faces as he had re-entered the lair. Holding onto his father for dear life as he sobbed into his arms. His brothers surrounding him, holding him with a mixture of terror and relief. Donnie remembered all of it. He even remembered that Mikey sobbed for as long as he did when he had come home.

After all these years why had they never spoken to him about this? And how could he have just forgotten about it?

"Donnie?" Leonardo's voice shook him from his daze. "What do you remember?" He asked. And if Donnie wasn't mistaken, there was most definitely fear in his brother's tone. He didn't answer right away. A swelling of mixed emotions was choking him. Everything the man had said to him all those years ago was playing over in his mind.

"They're not coming for you. They don't want you anymore, so they sent me to come and get you." Back then Donnie remembered believing that what the man said must have been true. The statement was said to soon after Donnie heard the echoing laughter of his brothers for his little mind to not make a connection. " My brothers must have set this up to give me away. " Is what little Donnie thought after he was first left alone behind those rusting bars. But he had to look at what had happened with what he knew now. His brothers would never have done that to him. Robert had been lying. He believed that with everything he held dear… Besides that must be why he had NEVER said anything to his family about his kidnapping. They had never known.

Minutes later Donnie found himself sitting alone with his father in the Dojo after he had ordered everyone out. It had taken some time to clear the room, as his brother's had been reluctant to go. They wanted to know who this ' him' was. Splinter had remained silent until Donnie finally revealed what had really happened to him all those years ago. Making sure to leave out the part about his brother's laughter echoing down the tunnel while he was being attacked, and about what his kidnapper had said to him. That part of the story he didn't understand, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. Upon finishing his traumatic story the two sat in silence, which was almost as painful.

Finally "Oh Donatello." His father placed a hand on him so tightly, like his son was about to vanish all over again. The pain in his father's voice tormented Donnie with guilt, though he just couldn't remember why.

"All I recall from that day is the four of you going out to play together and only three of you came back." Splinter started. "Your brothers were in a panic saying that you had simply vanished in one of the tunnels. We searched thinking that maybe you had just gotten lost. You didn't go out exploring as much as they did. But there was no trace of you. I couldn't even pick up your scent. We thought we had lost you my son." Another moment passed but Donnie still refused to talk. He just couldn't understand why this had been repressed for so long. "You were missing for two days. Your brothers were grief stricken and blamed themselves. Then on the third morning you just appeared at the door with heavy bruises all over your body." Splinter looked again at the marks on his son's neck.

The memory brought such sadness to him now, as though it had all just happened today. "I asked many times where you had been but you wouldn't talk about it. You wouldn't say a word. Not even to your brothers. But each night you woke up screaming. For weeks I tried counselling you, meditating with you. But the more I tried to break through to you, the more you pulled away. At one point you stopped talking to us all together. Most of the time you just seemed to be in a trance and you kept saying you had to be somewhere else, but you didn't know where. Then you started sleep walking. Once you actually tried to leave the safety of the lair. Lucky I was there watching you and prevented you from leaving. You had no memory of it when you woke up. All you said was a nightmare was chasing you."

"That is exactly how I have been the last few days?" Donnie added.

"I knew a dark presence was haunting you, and there was only one way I could think of to shield you from it." The old rat looked down, his ears flattened. "Since I couldn't help you to move on from whatever had happened in the sewer, I hoped that maybe I could make you forget, until you were ready to deal with it."

At this Donnie looked up at his father's face. It was filled with grief and guilt. "I hypnotised you. I just wanted to take away your pain. I had never done this to any of you before, and never since…." there was a pause. "Had I have known what had truly become of you… I would never…. Please forgive me Donatello. I failed you."

"No. No father you didn't. You did what you thought was best for me." Donnie insisted. He couldn't stand the idea of Splinter blaming himself. Out of all of them it was not his fault.

"Why did you not tell me a human had taken you from us and tried to hurt you?"

The turtle looked away in shame. "I was scared that you would be ashamed of me. I broke your rule and revealed myself to a human. I really thought he was in trouble. I was so stupid…and well I thought…." He trailed off. He just couldn't tell his father that he thought his own brothers had done this to him on purpose. The idea was just too horrible, to stupid and he was sure Splinter would be angry with him for thinking such things. Donnie jumped a little when he felt Splinter's arms wrap around him. Hugs were something that had faded out since their training as ninjas had become more dominant. But right now Splinter was holding his son as a father, not as a Master.

"You've always had such a kind heart my son, and it grieves me to now know that someone took advantage of you for that. I am just grateful that you managed to escape before….before he had carried out his plans to harm you any further." Master Splinter muttered sadly before releasing Donnie. Just trying to imagine what his son had gone through made him feel sick to his gut. "We both made mistakes, but let us not forget that it was you who suffered. The only one at fault here is that man ." He sneered on the word 'man.' When Splinter had been human he was raised to believe that all life was precious. But now, speaking as a parent, anyone who could hurt a child was the worst kind of life form in his opinion. Seeing his son in such pain broke his heart.

"It was 10 years ago. It's not very likely that he is still there, right?" Donnie asked shaking his head. New York sewers were not a place for human's long term, especially in the winter.

" There was just no way he could still be there…right ." Donnie reasoned with himself, and yet it troubled him.

Splinter sighed sadly. "Donatello. Some dark force is upon you now as there was back then. Maybe it is just your repressed memories, or maybe it is something else, I am unsure." Master Splinter's eyes once again found the marks on Donnie's neck. They were growing darker by the second as though a force was still here, choking him. The only thing Splinter was sure of was that this event 10 years ago was somehow hurting his son now, though he didn't know how.

"Your brothers. Donatello I may have made you forget, but they never did. They carried the guilt of almost loosing you every day since." Donnie looked away with his own guilt burning him. How could he have believed that sick twisted man? His brothers loved him, but he knew this wouldn't ease their guilt. Donnie bowed to his master before leaving the Dojo with a still very troubled father behind him. Donnie opened the doors only to find three even more troubled brothers waiting for him.

He contemplated what to say. He opened his mouth, stopped, closed it, and then opened it again when suddenly he felt a burning pressure snap across his face, making him gasp. Donnie clapped a hand over his right eye as it started to throb! His brothers quickly ran over.

"Bro what's wrong?" They asked, but then all gasped as Donnie pulled his hand away revealing some heavy swelling. The injury was already looking days, not seconds, old. Had the brothers not just witnessed it for themselves they would have said that someone had punched Donnie and given their brother a black eye, but no one had. No one had raised a hand to him. An unforeseen presence was attacking there brother and they couldn't do anything about it.

"Donnie you look like you've been in a freaking car wreck! What the hell is going on??" Raph yelled looking at the small head bump on Donnie's head he had accidently caused that morning. Could it have caused the black eye as well?

….But wait a minute. The bump was on the other side of Donnie's head so it couldn't have anything to do with it and how had it just appeared half an hour later? Raph and the others now glared at with suspicion.

Amazing. Abso-fucking-lutley amazing. But there were no words. Donnie had no words to explain this. Whatever was happening to him was vastly becoming a very, very big problem!

 **To be continued...** **End notes: Oh my gosh. My heart is beating so fast right now. What will happen to Donnie on next chapter? Will he tell his brothers about he's being kidnapped? I hope I can update the new chapter on next week. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere :D** **P.S: If you guys have tips or advices for writing story or critics for my english-because english is not my first language-, please PM me. Okay?! ;) I'd love to hear any of your words. And I'm sorry if I didn't reply all of your reviews. I'm kinda busy sometimes ;(** **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story** **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story** **Bye bye for now** **With Love and hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! I'm back with a new chapter. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Seven: Confession

Cataclysmically awkward. That's how the whole damn process had been, awkward, and terrible, and horrible, and just…bad. Donnie wasn't sure if he would ever be able to look his brothers in the eye ever again.

He groaned and moved his keyboard away so he could rhythmically bang his forehead onto his work bench. All this accomplished though was painfully reminding him that he had already accumulated multiple facial and head injuries today.

"Ow! Shell and Ow!" Donnie said rubbing at his swollen eye.

Physical injuries forming without any physical contact, possibly as a result of past repressed memories!? That was crazy! What was next broken bones? A cracked shell? Maybe the kraang were behind this? Something had to be behind this?! Something logical. Donnie had spent the last two hours looking desperately for anything that could shed some light on what was going on, but all his test's and experiments were turning up nothing!

It was later in the afternoon by the time Donnie's brothers finally dared to approach him, only to find their brother staring blankly at his computer screen. He looked to be in something that could only be described somewhere between depression and a coma. His work bench was covered with articles and medical journals. The three also noticed a few notes on alien tec, some weapon designs they had collected from the Shredder, a microscope…and that spinning weird machine that blood was put in. Donnie was running tests on himself, for what they weren't sure. And from the look on his face, Don didn't appear to know either.

"I'm not listening to you!" Donnie suddenly snapped.

"But we haven't said anything yet." Mikey said cautiously coming to stand by his brother's form, only to see that even more deep bruises had appeared down Donnie's arms and legs.

"I wasn't talking to you… It's that music again…It's whispering to me, but I don't want to listen." He explained this like he was giving them a weather report. The brothers just gaped at him as they processed a whole new host of feelings associated to what Donnie had just said, before finally answering.

"What – what's is it saying D?" Mikey asked hoping he was covering up the 'you're insane,' tone in his voice. Don just shook his head. Either he didn't know, or didn't want to say, which only made all of this even more disturbing. Once again the brothers glanced at one another, not sure of what to do. They would be lying if they said they weren't afraid. In the space of 24 hours their genius brother seemed to have mentally drifted a million miles away from them, and he was still drifting. His lab tests had been his last life line for something tangible. Now Donnie just sat there, looking completely defeated.

"Sensei says you have something to tell us?" Leo said in the calmest voice he could muster, but as he approached Donnie another deep cut inexplicably appeared. This time across his brother's lip, like a small invisible knife had just slashed across him. Donnie winced at the stinging as a trickle of blood ran down his face.

Mikey quickly ran over to the infirmary area, grabbing a wad of cloth which was kept under the desk. They had lots of them in storage in case they needed to use some to apply pressure on open wounds. His brother gratefully took one to press onto his face. In moments the blood was soaking through.

"What's going on Don? Is it connected to what you remember?" Raph asked. Anxiety filled him as more small bruises appeared on his baby brother.

"I guess it is but I don't know how. I was hoping it wasn't so I wouldn't have to open this can of worms…again." Donnie cleared the last of the blood away before he began reliving his hell for the third time that day.

After Donatello had finished it left the brothers sitting in stunned silence. A vile sickening silence of self-loathing poured onto each of them like a bucket of ice water, as they all quickly replayed this event from so long ago. Images of what Don described of being scared, alone, and locked in a cage filled each of their stomachs with burning rage.

Leo, trying not to show his horror, hastily made his way over, resting a comforting hand on Donnie's shoulder. "Donnie, why didn't you say anything? I mean you were having those nightmares for months before Splinter made you forget. If he had really known what happened to you, he would have hunted that man down. Why did you never tell us?"

For a long moment Donnie couldn't meet their eyes. Slowly he looked up at his three gaping brothers, his expression only held more fear.

"I didn't say anything because….because he said to me that you three didn't want me anymore and you had sent him to take me away…and…and I believed him." Before his brothers could respond to this outrageous statement, Donnie held up his hand for them to let him finish. "Guys you have to understand I was scared. The mind imagines awful things when you're scared." Donnie tried to explain, but his expression only held shame. "You guys never talked to me back then, and you were always laughing at me because I couldn't keep up with you when we spared." He shook his head, acknowledging that he knew how foolish he was sounding. "You see when the man was….when he was dragging me away, I was crying out for help to you guys and I…" He paused again. Clearly struggling to continue with his confession, Leo reassuringly squeezed his shoulder, encouraging him to finish while Raph and Mikey moved closer, keen to listen.

Donnie took a deep breath. "I heard you three. I heard you laughing. It echoed back down the tunnel." At this the three brothers fell silent. "That, paired with what the man said, it was convincing enough for a five year old to think that maybe it was because… because you didn't want me anymore. I'm sorry this doesn't excuse it." At this a tear escaped the purple turtle's eye as he looked away in shame.

"Donnie." Leo couldn't repress a shudder. All those times they had left him out. Isolating or teasing him because he was just a bit slower than them, or smarter than them. His baby brother had truly thought that they hated him enough to get rid of him!? A rain fall of shame washed over them.

"We would NEVER do that to you. We love you bro!" Mikey declared catching Donnie's eye and holding his gaze in the hopes that his brother would see the absolute truth of his statement.

"You are our brother Donnie. So what if you were a bit different to us in the beginning? We were just stupid kids." Raph said, he was trying his hardest to repress his anger against what this human had done to his baby brother…. What they had let him do. Oh god what had they done? Leo caught Raph's eye. They both knew that they should tell Donnie what they had done. A secret the three of them had buried for 10 long years. It was time they all came clean.

"I know. I know you would never do that to me. I misunderstood what was happening. When I escaped and came home I thought if I said anything to father, you would be mad and take me back to that man. But if I stayed quiet you would forgive me and let me stay. I was so stupid to think so badly of you, and I'm sorry. You're my brothers and I know you would never ever do anything to hurt me." Donnie was cut off by his brother's arms as they all suddenly gathered around him. For a moment they enjoyed the closeness. Donnie had been shutting them out for so long, now they were finally making a brake through.

"If anyone should be sorry Donnie it's us. I mean it was our fault after all by purposely taking you down there to get -" Mikey trailed off, realising what he had just said after catching the sudden snap of alarm on Leo's and Raph's faces.

Donnie looked up. "What?" He asked with a confused expression. "Did what on purpose?" The purple clad turtle didn't at all like the sudden frozen expression of guilt plastered all over his baby brother's face, nor the look his two older brothers were now harbouring.

"Mikey." Raph snapped. All this time Donnie had been blaming himself, they knew they had to confess to their stupid mistake, but they had been hoping to start their confession a bit better than this.

"What's going on?" Donnie looked around at the three of them as a feeling of dread suddenly filled him up, fuelled only by the looks of uncomfortable guilt now swamping the room….

No! He had misunderstood the situation 10 years ago. His brother's would never have let him get taken away on purpose. They hadn't known there was a psychopath lurking in the sewers. They had all just become separated for a few minutes while they were chasing each other…… They hadn't left him alone deliberately….. They hadn't been in the dark laughing at him for being lost… They hadn't been laughing at him while he cried out in terror and….still left him….right? Oh my god! The turtle in purple slowly sat up, looking at his brothers in disbelief.

By the look of horror now fixed on Donnie's face the brother's knew that he had already plucked their confession out of their heads, as though they had just said it straight out.

"Donnie." Leo began nervously. He had to at least try and explain. "We didn't know some human was there in the tunnel. I swear on my honour if we had, we would have come running!"

"GET OFF ME!" Donnie suddenly pushed all their hands away. "You did hear me screaming didn't you? You heard me crying out for help and you didn't come because….it was funny!?" Donnie said in a voice that was pleading with them to contradict him. But when no denial came he pushed on. "You hid from me just to try and scare me?"

"It was just a joke Donnie." Raph said trying to reassure him, but his brother had already jumped up from his seat and backed away from them a bit. His breathing once again becoming flustered.

"We were going to sneak up on you when you came back up the other end, but you didn't come. We went looking for you. We thought maybe you had gone back, taken another tunnel or something and just run off back home… But when you weren't there either we got scared." Tears of guilt had started to fill Mikey's eyes as he explained, but Donatello just continued to shake his head not wanting to believe them. In distress Donnie closed his eyes and covered his ears in an attempt to block out the reality he had spent the last day trying to remember.

"No! I can't hear this! I am not hearing that you all left me on purpose. That you listened to me screaming for help while you all just stood there laughing! That you really hated me that much!?" He violently shook his head, trying to convince himself otherwise. The fact that the brothers could not deny it made it all the more heart breaking to watch. They had caused this.

The purple clad then stopped and looked at them. His eyes glazed over with betrayal as the truth suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Who are you? How could you do this to me?" Quietly posing the question to each of them.

"Donnie please?" Leo got up and desperately reached out to him but Don ducked away from his hand before it could touch him. "We never hated you… We made a stupid and childish mistake. When you came back, we were so grateful, we swore we would never push you aside ever again. We were all closer after that-"

"Oh yeah why was that Leo?" Donnie snapped in a tone that was suddenly a lot angrier. "It took almost loosing me to realise that you care after all, Gee thanks. Or was it because you felt guilty? You never told Splinter the truth about the joke, did you?"

At that the three brothers stiffened. No they hadn't ever told Splinter the truth. Even after Don had had his mind cleared, still none of them had confessed. The longer they waited the truth became harder to reveal, even for Leo.

Raph crossed his arms, staring guiltily at his feet. "Telling the truth at that point would have just hurt you all over again."

"Hurt? You do know I had nightmares for weeks after what that human did to me?! And in every one of them I could always hear you laughing at me like you were enjoying it!" There was a short pause where all the turtles just looked at one another, unsure of what to say. But it didn't last too long. Unable to stand it Mikey stepped forward.

"But that's not true. We just messed up. Please D what can we do to make this up to you?"

But Donnie shook his head. "It's all a bit redundant trying to make this right 10 years later don't you think."

"What is going on in here?" The impeccable timing of their father's voice boomed through the lair. Unable to miss the atmosphere that was currently ripping through their home like a tidal wave, his eyes first fell on his clever son. His aura screamed depression worse than it had before. In fact he looked positively crushed!

"Donatello, what is wrong?" The old rat asked.

"Ask them!" Was all he said before turning to leave the lair.

"No Donnie we have to talk." Leo called after him. Donnie stopped in his tracks but he didn't turn around. He knew he should straighten this out, but right now he wanted to hurt them as they had hurt him. He knew he would regret saying this later but at this moment in time he didn't care. Without turning around Donnie just muttered

"I don't know you!" and left.

 **To be continued...**

 **End notes: Okay so Donnie knows the truth about what happened 10 years ago. He's hurting. Okay I hope I can update the new chapter sooner. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere :D**

 **P.S: If you guys have tips or advices for writing story or critics for my english-because english is not my first language-, please PM me. Okay?! ;) I'd love to hear any of your words. And I'm sorry if I didn't reply all of your reviews. I'm kinda busy sometimes ;(**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story** **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story**

 **Bye bye for now**

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! I'm back with a new chapter. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Eight:

Piper Avenue

By now it was dusk and Donnie hadn't yet returned. He couldn't face his brothers, not yet. He had 6 missed calls on his phone from Leo. 12 from Raph and 16 from Mikey. He didn't care to listen to the voice mails either. He didn't need too. He already knew what was on them. The first few would be heartfelt relentless apologies with more 'ifs' and 'buts' than you could shake a stick at. Then the next couple would be of his brother's pleading for him to come home and talk. Well Mikey and Leo would be doing the pleading, Raph would be getting his shell up by now demanding that he got his backside back here before he came out and dragged him home by his bandana. Not to be unkind, but his hot headed brother did not take guilt very well. Donnie sighed. He was so spaced out that he was almost oblivious to the pain of being betrayed. He wanted to be angry with them. Hell! He was angry, but more he was hurt.

He understood that they had been children, his logical brain rationalising that kids were just being kids and his brother's childish prank had been nothing more than that, despite the result of it. He should just leave the past in the past. It didn't mean that they didn't love him… and yet…his inner child just wanted to cry. Why did they feel the need to be cruel to him just because he was quieter than them?

He just couldn't think clearly. Panic tried to overwhelm and consume him as his mind furiously worked, seeking out the answers…. Answers? Even the questions didn't make sense? His brother's prank may have been what had ultimately started all of this, but how was that causing what was happening to him now? Why was he being haunted by these memories only now? What was different to say, from last year, or even last week? Why was this all happening now? It took his brilliant mind half a second to figure out what he wanted to do and even less time to decide it was a bad idea, but he would do it anyway. He had nothing else to loose now.

Donnie rubbed a hand over his tender beaten face, his swollen eye burned to the touch and his cut lip stung like a bitch against the cold air. The bump on his head from Mikey's weapon still throbbed… Oh how he wished he had just stayed in bed, then he never would've remembered that awful day from so long ago…but, this would still be happening to him. It was as though something was trying to reach out and remind him of what he went through…reach out and drag him back to that dark place he had been imprisoned. Like that child who had been reported missing… Bobby James. At that he felt a tug. After all the terrifying things he had seen in his young life, he understood the horror that kid must be feeling right now.

Donnie pondered over this as he walked deeper into the sewers. He went over what had happened so far, and what it could all possibly mean. Despite the scientist in him wanting a clearer answer, this situation seemed as if larger forces were at work. This was something Master Splinter or Leo would understand better than he could.

But before the smart turtle had made it any further his phone vibrated once again. Mikey! Donnie closed his eyes trying to repress a tear's escaping.

He didn't want this. He didn't want to create a rift between his family. Apart of him understood, and yet another part felt that they had overstepped every line ever! It was hard because Don, on principal, took all the lemons life gave him in strides, but this?

Well maybe even he was entitled to lose it once in a while. But ultimately it came down to this. Donnie knew he could never hate his brothers, but how long could he stay mad at them? They were a team…more than that, they were a family. As though to push him, the phone stopped after only a few short rings, which meant they were most likely going to leave the lair soon and venture into the sewer to look for him. Tracking him by his shellcell for sure. Great! And they wouldn't be happy once the phone showed them where he was heading.

The one place he knew he had to go. The one place he was afraid to go, but he knew he had to. Why, he couldn't really answer. It just seemed like it was the only place he was going to find out any ideas on what was happening to him.

The young turtle, his turmoil trapping him somewhere between the past and the present, found himself at the junction that has been haunting his nightmares. A sick feeling had settled in the pit of his stomach as he arrived near to his destination. There was only one theory that had kept on coming back to him. A nagging feeling he hadn't been able to put to rest ever since he had seen that news report.

Pulling out his Shellcell Donnie pin-pointed his location in the sewers, and then lined it up with the location of the New York City map so he would know what part of the city he was currently under. Before the images downloaded he closed his eyes making a silent plea with whatever forces might be listening. "Please let me be wrong." he repeated to himself. But seconds later the phone aluminate the words he had been dreading to see. "Piper Avenue."… No! It had to be a coincidence! A very big coincidence. Somewhere up there, someone was laughing at him he was sure.

Just because he was in the same place where children have been being kidnapped for all these years, didn't mean that it was the same man who was doing it….? That would be a pretty big leap…. But… it would explain why they had never been found. Donatello stood there a moment, allowing the dreadful possibility to wash over him. ' If' it was the same man then that would mean….that this was…. all his fault! For he had said nothing.

The sickness that had settled in his gut was now suddenly venturing up his throat, bringing a light dizzy spell with it. Donnie leaned over resting his hands against the wall as the nauseating bile made a fast exit from him onto the sewer floor. Oh god! What if it was the same man? He had to find out. If there's any chance that he could find that little boy…he had to go back. Nine children including Bobby had gone missing just above him. Nine!

He pulled himself up, steading his balance before going any further. The turtle tossed aside any ' if', ' buts', or ' maybes' his logical mind could produce and just went with his gut. A presence has been calling him since before he had even remembered anything, and he was done ignoring it. It would mean placing the scientist in him to one side, at least for the moment.

"Alright I'm listening." Donnie said out loud to the open empty space as he began to walk. Fear crawled up his neck…. That man couldn't still be there? The image formed in his mind of rotten teeth, dark hair, and one bright yellow hooded coat… Donnie stopped in his tracks as he came upon the entrance to the four tunnels. New and old memories almost crushed him as the outline of the four large holes in the wall loomed over him. They appeared as mouths of giants, ready to swallow him up. Lost in the moment he jumped a mile when the sound of his phone once again vibrated. This time he reached out his right hand and felt for the phone, brushing over the hard plastic case. His fingers wrapped around the device and the vibrations rolled down his arm in tiny, insistent waves. He stared at the phone knowing that he had to do this one last thing before he went any further.

"Leo." Donnie said in a voice he barely recognised as his own and it was a full 10 seconds before his brother was over his shock enough to answer.

"DONNIE!" Leo yelled so loud that the purple clad turtle actually had to hold the phone away from his ear. The sound of his brother's voice again tugged at his pain, but he had to push that aside, at least for now. "Jeeze Donnie, we've been worried sick about you." He sounded out of breath and his tone saturated with concern.

"Is he there? About bloody time! Let me talk to him!!" He heard Raph in the background. Donnie winced. He had to get this over with before he lost his nerve.

"Just hold on a moment Raph." Leo said before coming back to the mouth piece and in a surprisingly gentle tone said "Donnie we were just about to head out and come find you… your tracer say's your back by the… the…TUNNEL…!? Donnie what are you doing?? Please come home. We just want to talk… whatever you want from us, we will do it. Just PLEASE come home-"

"Leo." He had to cut him off before the leader could get into full swing. "I know this is going to sound crazy but I think the man who took me is the same man who has been taking all the other kids. Like that kid who was missing on the news today!"

There was a pause and Donnie had the feeling he had just been put on loud speaker.

"Don what makes you think that?" Leo said in a voice that suggested that he had just said a bad, unfunny, and even offensive joke.

"Because it's the same place. I'm below Piper Avenue. Guys, what if it is? What if that kid is down here? Nine children were never seen again, all because I didn't say anything. I have to go back. I have to make sure-"

"Donnie come home NOW!" Raph yelled down the phone line, not able to hide his worry.

"I can't Raph. I can't explain it but something has been pulling me back here, even before I remembered… Something is calling me and… I don't seem to have control over it. The more I fight it, the more I'm getting injured. I don't know how, but they are connected. Does that make sense?" Donnie tried to explain the best he could, but even he knew how he must be sounding. They were all measuring him up for a turtle size straightjacket he was sure.

"Donnie listen to me!" Leo's voice had rapidly transformed from concerned brother to controlling leader mode. "I know how it looks and I understand this is something you can't ignore but…what IF you are right? Don't do this alone. We'll come with you-"

"Then follow my…..tracker." Donnie closed his eyes as tears started to fall. He wouldn't be able to talk to them for much longer before his voice broke into a million pieces. More protesting from Mikey when suddenly it all stopped. The other end of the phone went ghostly and eerily silent. "Guys? Hello? … Are you there?" but there was nothing. They had been cut off. A twinge of panic filled him as he was once AGAIN left alone to face the darkness. His inner child felt abandoned…

No he had to get a hold of himself. He had to face this for the little boy that may or may not be down there. - Missing kids….? He wasn't about to stumble across a ginger bread house was he?? He thought ironically to himself. Either way he decided that the cut line was a sign that he had to do this alone, he stood for a beat while his brain caught up with his actions. This was madness. He knew this was madness. What was compelling him to be so reckless? If Donnie was thinking with his brain, then he wouldn't be here right now. It was his child like heart from years ago that seemed to be in control here. Speaking of which, Donnie felt his heart stop as he looked back into the darkness, watching the cold shadows emerging towards him, surrounding him… was this another nightmare?

He felt the dreaded feeling in his gut once again overwhelm him, pulling him forward as the shadows bled out of the decaying tunnels and started to engulf him. This was where nightmares were made and Donnie wasn't in control anymore.

 **To be continued...** **End notes: Uh oh! What will happen to Donnie? Okay I hope I can update the new chapter sooner. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere :D** **P.S: If you guys have tips or advices for writing story or critics for my english-because english is not my first language-, please PM me. Okay?! ;) I'd love to hear any of your words. And I'm sorry if I didn't reply all of your reviews. I'm kinda busy sometimes ;(** **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story** **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story** **Bye bye for now** **With Love and hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! I'm sorry I'm late. I should update my story yesterday. I was running out my Data. And now, I can update again. Sorry for waiting so long. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.** **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)** **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS** **With Love and Hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Nine:

What have we done?

Leo sometimes wished he could stop the world spinning. Not literally, of course but metaphorically, every once and awhile he really would have liked to push the pause button. Tonight was turning into one of those pause button nights.

He was cracking under the pressure of a 10 year guilt trip, reignited by the look in his younger brother's eyes before he stormed off. And now Donnie wasn't answering his phone, cracking up seemed to be inevitable.

There was many different stages of guilt, thankfully he had managed to hold onto stage one and keep a clear head, at least until Donnie was home. Mikey however looked to already be in stage two, completely crushed and defeated with guilt as he desperately mashed on the buttons calling his brother's number. Then there was Raph. Predictably he had skipped the other stages and was now wallowing in stage three. Anger. Making disgruntled noises while scrubbing at his eyes. After the first 6 unanswered calls, the hot headed brother has been on the brink of a breakdown with worry!

The silent treatment they had received from Master Splinter after the long awaited confession hadn't helped much either. After the brothers had finally told their father their half of the story, it was clear the old rat was restraining himself. His silence screamed disappointment, which only made them wince even more. But there was more important things happening right now, as Splinter was quick to point out, and he instructed his sons to bring their brother home.

Once he knew his third youngest son was safe then, and only then, would he address… this! The loud snap of the Dojo doors had not been a good sign that Splinter was anything less than furious.

"Let's just go get him! Let's go right now!" Raph demanded bouncing on the balls of his feet and trying his very best to ignore the twisting and stabbing in his gut.

"Hold up Raph, since we're all standing around, how about I say what we're all thinking? Even if we find him, what makes you think he'd talk to us? What the hell have we done??"

Mikey looked away at that as though he was about to cry while Raph snorted and threw his hands in the air.

"I'm ok with assumin' the worst here bro. Donnie's not in his right mind right now, even before he found out what crappy brothers we are! Regardless of what we did something else is happening to him, which is making him look like my punching bag….." Upset but determined Raph shook his head. "Donnie wants to be mad at us, fine. But he can be mad here at home where he is safe!"

Leo went to argue but got caught up in the fact that Raph had made a good point, as well as openly admitting to his own failings in the same sentence. "Ok let's just call him one more time and if he doesn't pick up we will go and look for him." Leo was already dialling the number before he had finished talking. Raph sighed in exasperation.

"Em… bro's?" Mikey muttered, ignoring the conversation happening around him of their brothers possible… craziness…or whatever it was?

"What? What is it now?" Raph asked watching Mikey look at his phone screen.

"I thought since we were calling Donnie so much, how about we just see where his phone is?" The luminescent screen was like a beacon cutting through the shadows as Mikey's ghostly face stopped his brothers in their tracks. The little dot on the screen pin pointed to where their missing brother's was located.

"Ohmygod! Are you freaking kidding me!?" Raph yelled as the signal was assessed.

"Leo." With his nerves already frazzled, the unexpected voice of Donatello suddenly down the other end of the line caught Leo so off guard that it took an entire 10 full seconds for him to register it.

"DONNIE!" Leo yelled. The other two brothers snapped their heads up. They looked like they had been slapped across the face. "Jeeze Donnie, we've been worried sick about you." He said automatically ducking the phone out of Mikey's reach before he could grab it from him.

"Is he there? About bloody time! Let me talk to him!!" Raph stomped over but Leo just shooed him away. The hot head pulled back, settling into his classic defensive pose, arms crossed over his plastron, Leo could almost see the steam coming out of his ears.

"Just hold on a moment Raph." The leader said, holding his two brothers back. Gentle voice, gentle voice he told himself. "Donnie we were just about to head out and come find you… your tracer say's your back by the… the TUNNEL…Donnie what are you doing?? Please come home. We just want to talk… whatever you want from us, we will do it. Just PLEASE come home-" Leo didn't care how desperate he sounded, ducking out of his brother's grasp once again so he could continue his pathetic pleading, when Donnie cut him off.

"Leo…I know this is going to sound crazy but I think the man who took me is the same man who has been taking all the other kids. Like that kid who was missing on the news today!"

At that Leo froze solid. His expression was so horrified that it even stopped Raph and Mikey from attempting to grab the phone.

"What did he say?" Mikey whispered but Leo just shook his head in disbelief, turning the phone on loud speaker.

"Don what makes you think that?" Leo couldn't keep the horror from his voice. That had to be the most illogical conclusion he had ever heard come out of his genius brother's mouth. What was going on in that big brain of his?

"Because it's the same place. I'm below Piper Avenue. Guys, what if it is? What if that kid is down here? Nine children were never seen again, all because I didn't say anything. I have to go back. I have to make sure-"

"Donnie come home NOW!" Raph yelled at the phone and even he wasn't making any attempt to hide the panic from his voice. Was his brother out of his shell?

"I can't Raph. I can't explain it but something has been pulling me back here, even before I remembered… Something is calling me and… I don't seem to have control over it. The more I fight it, the more I'm getting injured. I don't know how, but they are connected. Does that make sense?" He said quite sincerely, but the brothers again exchanged a look.

"Donnie listen to me!" Screw gentle voice! Leo needed to be in leader mode. Someone had to be rational here. "I know how it looks and I understand this is something you can't ignore but…what IF you are right? Don't do this alone. We'll come with you-" He knew dismissing his brother's fears was not a way to bring him back right now…But…oh hell, he couldn't take the chance that Donnie was right. No. It was impossible, right?

"Then follow my…..tracker." Donnie's voice sounded like it was cracking. He was upset.

"Donnie if you come home, I'll make you pizza and coffee… Anything you want! Just listen ok and we'll -" Mikey desperately yelled over his brothers shoulder as though Donnie was about to go and jump off a bridge… or at least something equally as crazy, when suddenly the smallest click of the receiver brought the four way conversation to an abrupt halt.

"Donnie? Donnie are you there?" Leo brought the shellcell back to his ear.

"He hung up on us!" Raph snapped somewhere between outraged and confused. Mikey was frantically back on the tracker, shaking his head in disbelief.

"He's gone. Guys he's gone!" The orange clad turtle almost shouted.

"Yeah we know. The little geek just hung up on us-" Raph boomed.

"No I mean he's GONE from the tracker. Look no signal! That's not supposed to happen."

The brothers looked at their own phones. He was right. The little dot that was their brother had vanished. Leo gulp down uneasily. "The only way it would stop tracking is if the phone was destroyed. But Donnie just told us too follow the tracker to find him, why would he do that?" Mikey continued to stutter.

"Unless it wasn't him who did it!" Raph said now in a much quieter, but still panicked, tone. "You… you don't think he's right do you? The man in the sewer… he can't still be there after all this time…I mean…. that's crazy? Leo something has Donnie's head whacked right?"

Once again Leo wished for that pause button. "To be honest Raph I'm not sure of anything right now. But I am sure of one thing, you are right! Either way Donnie is in trouble and I am not waiting around here repeating the same mistake we made 10 years ago."

Donnie still wasn't sure what was happening to him, but he no longer cared. All he knew was that whatever had been reaching out to him was now pulling him forward in full force. The moment he had surrendered to the darkness, it was as though it was carrying him back to where he had once been. Everything just seemed to be in a haze. He barely registered his feet splashing in the water as his terror seemed to be driving him, rather than repelling him, down the tunnel. He moved swiftly toward the narrow side passage he had been taken. There were many side passages, but he remembered which one it was.

Could it really be that the terrifying human he remembered as Robert was still lingering here? The turtle held fast to his bo-staff, despite this dark urge over powering him, Donatello remained in quiet ninja mode.

Then his heart skipped a beat as he came upon a square hole in the ground in front of him. Long out of use and forgotten by the workmen who had originally built it 30 or so years ago, but the turtle remembered being dragged down that whole via a metal ladder. It led to a much deeper chamber that had a caged door that connected to a small narrow tunnel where multiple little rooms were joined along it. The purpose of these built in spaces were to house pipes and cables that led straight up to the street… But Robert used the rooms for a different purpose. This was where he kept his prisoners. Each in their own space, chained to the pipes.

Was this how Alice felt before she fell down the rabbit whole? He thought ironically to himself. Twisted fairy tale just seemed to be the theme for this experience. He hoped not. Donnie shivered at the vile memory as he made his way down the very old long rusty ladder which creaked and shook under his weight. Structurally speaking, how the rusty ladder had managed to stay up so long was a mystery. The turtle had to hold tightly to keep himself from falling.

At this point it wasn't completely dark. As he remembered the chamber was illuminated by dim workman green lights, giving the surrounding a grim eerily feeling to it.

More than half way down now, he could see the caged door with the DANGER. DO NOT ENTER sign on it.

He remembered desperately picking at the lock of that very door to escape! It wasn't difficult. Donnie was so lost in his horrifying flash backs that the small sound from below reached his ears made him come to such an abrupt halt that he almost slipped…. Oh god! Someone was down there!

But the turtle didn't get to long to react to this, right after he heard another creek from the ladder… and then it broke!

 **To be continued...** **End notes: Oh no! This can't be good. Okay I hope I can update the new chapter sooner. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere :D** **P.S: If you guys have tips or advices for writing story or critics for my english-because english is not my first language-, please PM me. Okay?! ;) I'd love to hear any of your words. And I'm sorry if I didn't reply all of your reviews. I'm kinda busy sometimes ;(** **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story** **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story** **Bye bye for now** **With Love and hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! I'm back again. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.** **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)** **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS** **With Love and Hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Ten:

Down the Rabbit Hole

The rung of the ladder slipped from his grasping fingers as his full weight pulled him down. It all sort of happened in slow motion. The green light above becoming dimmer as he fell downwards. The ice cold air rushed past his ears for what was probably nothing more than a second. He barely registered the echo of pieces of the metal ladder clattering onto the ground below him. A gasped escaped as he felt his shell crack on the stone floor. Landing heavily his shell bounced slightly before his neck snapped back, smacking the back of his head on the cement. The impact to his head should have been worse had it not been for his arched shell taking the brunt of the force first, but it was enough for his mind to blank out for a moment before a surge of pain shot through his skull.

Moments later Donnie came back to himself. Judging from how bad the pain was still vibrating through his occipital bone, he estimated that he couldn't have been out for more than a few seconds as the dim green emergency light started to come back into view… Only it seemed to be spinning.

With a grunt Donnie rolled onto his side trying to catch his breath, while at the same time trying not to vomit. Deep breaths, deep breaths he told himself. After a few moments the turtle managed to push himself up into a sitting position.

The chamber still spinning but he could see the large caged off door…. There it was. Just like how he remembered. The only entrance to his hell. Years ago that had been the last thing standing between him and his freedom. Donnie then looked up to see what was left of the ladder. It had broken right where his feet had been before the fall. At least about 8 feet up or so. To high up to reach, and here he was without any climbing equipment or even a rope…. He had left the lair without his emergency bag. Idiot! Maybe he could jump, but even if he could reach what was left it would likely just brake, which meant…. Oh crap! Donnie sighed rubbing the back of his head as the reality hit him as hard as the cement. He was trapped!

Bloody marvellous!

Now all he could do was go forward. Thanks to the racket he had just made danger was soon to be on its way, he was sure of it. So much for stealth mode. Donnie reached out for his bo-staff, knowing that at this point he might as well face it head on…. But as he listened, he was only met with an eerie silence.

But, he had heard something, just before he fell, he was sure of it. It sounded like a… W-whimper… A child's whimper.

Quickly Donnie tried to get up, but soon regretted it as the room continued to spin. He probably had a mild concussion, but he didn't care. Using his stick to steady himself Don made short work of the caged door. The lock gave out with just one heavy shove, as did some of the stone wall with it. This place wasn't just structurally unsound, it was crumbling around him. With his heart pounding and his fear reaching dangerous levels Donnie forced himself forward as he shielded his thoughts with his moral code wrapped up nicely with a layer of guilt. Although it was dark more small dimly green electric lights were fitted all the way down the tunnel. They were attached to thin rotten wooden beams that appeared to be the only support to the chamber. Shocked that they hadn't already given out, Donnie estimated that just a few of these knocked out would likely bring the entire chamber down.

As he made his way deeper he soon came upon what he was seeking. Posted down on his left side heavy caged maintenance doors ran along the crumbling stone wall. At the sight of them Donnie couldn't repress a shudder. Though he couldn't remember which door he was held behind, this is where he had been kept.

Still praying that he was wrong, the turtle wasted no time checking them for life… However he was sorry he did after just the first one.

He was instantly knocked back by the smell. In the pitch darkness Donnie could only make out the outline of something. It wasn't moving. No life. Not anymore. He gasped as he realised what it was. The stale stench was enough to tell him that he was long… No, years too late. Overcome with a wave of dizziness as he looked into the tiny prison, he had to cover his mouth to prevent himself from screaming.

He knew what was in there… Oh god! This wasn't a prison… It was… It was a grave! As was the next one, and the next. The bravery that had brought him down here… That he had been clinging to, instantly fell away. Leaving behind the vulnerable scared child he had once been. The turtle yelped, backing away too quickly, his feet sliding on the rocky debris causing him to trip and fall hard landing on his carapace. Donnie felt panic rip and tear through him, almost too painful to try to get up. He felt tears of horror prick his eyes as he gritted his teeth. He rolled onto his side and pulled himself into a quivering ball of misery, his hands protecting his head from more falling debris.

"Am sorry. Am so sorry. I should have done more. I should have stopped him!" That vile man, he had done this to them! He was responsible. The passive turtle was visibly shaking as he felt his horror become saturated with hate. He couldn't make this right…. But… He would end it. Right there he vowed that this was to never happen again! He would avenge these children.

Apart from his shaky breathing a thick silence filled the chamber. After his Momentary distraction by the horrific crime around him, Donnie suddenly heard the sound of rocks being shifted. He looked up, the green light hurting his eyes. Who was making that noise?

"Hello?" He called out in a small shaking voice that contained every last bit of terror crammed into one plaintive word. More sounds of moving debris, and some fast shallow breathing that was not his own.

"Hello? Is someone there?" He called out a little louder, fear welling hard in his chest sending everything logical swimming out of his head so all that was left was rushing adrenaline demanding that he moved.

Scrambling to his hands and knees as he desperately ventured further into the tunnel. His searching hands brushed across the rough surface of a wall and he stood on shaky legs as he tried to get his bearings. "Please, I'm not going to hurt you. Are you there? Please answer me-"

"Be quiet. He'll hear you!" A tiny terrified voice came out of the dark.

Donnie froze not quite believing it. "Bobby? Are you Bobby James?" He whispered getting to his feet and sliding his hands along the wall until it scraped across another caged door. Donnie gasped when he suddenly felt a cold little hand reach out through the bars, grasping desperately at his leg.

"I'm Bobby. I want my Mommy!" he cried. Instantly the turtle kneeled down so he was face to face with the little boy. It was him! The same face he had seen on the news report. The missing child was here…. They all were. How had he known? He asked himself, but there was no time for that now. They had to get out of here.

"Bobby, my name is Donatello. My friends call me Donnie. Don't be afraid of me ok. I'm…I'm a man in a costume." He quickly smiled reassuringly while repressing the urge to wince. The smell in this cage was even worse than the others.

"You're a super hero!?" Bobby said with a tiny glimmer of excitement.

This made Donnie inwardly cringe. Mikey would have loved that, but he didn't feel like a hero, not with the amount of fear he was feeling.

"Don't worry Bobby I'm going to get you out of here." He promised in a voice he hoped sounded a lot braver than he felt. But the child looked right into his eyes. There was no trace of fear as he looked over the green mutant's face.

"I knew you would come." The child said with a knowing smile that Don felt was a little out of place.

"Did you?" Donnie asked examining the lock. It was just a normal pad lock. It looked rusted over but he would have it open in a second.

Bobby nodded. "I've been calling you. I knew you could hear me, but I was scared you'd be too afraid to come back here." Bobby James said reaching out to touch the turtles face almost affectionately. Donatello stopped what he was doing and looked at the child through the bars a little taken aback.

"What do you mean?" he started but the kid suddenly ducked away from the cage retreating into the shadow of his cell.

"He's coming. Don't let him see you."

With his bo-staff at the ready Donnie quickly checked down either end of the tunnel. It seemed to be void of life, despite the creepy feeling making its way up his neck or the throbbing of his head. But he didn't fancy waiting around. He had to get the boy out of here first. The lock was very stiff. It took some effort but using only his own strength he managed to pry it backwards till it snapped. He yanked open the door and made his way into the tiny stone room. The door was so heavy that it closed again behind him.

"Bobby?" again he kneeled down so he would be on eye level with the boy. The smell in here was making his eyes water. If he hadn't just heard the child talking to him, he would be sure something had died in here. Maybe it was better he couldn't see. Blindly reaching forward expecting to find him chained up, but again Donnie was surprised as he felt two free little arms reach around his neck, clinging to him for dear life. Donnie gasped. He was like ice.

"You were kept in here too." The child whispered in his ear slit. It wasn't a question. Donnie froze, already taken aback by the boy's closeness. But how could he have known that?

"How did you-" he started but both fell silent as he caught the boy's face in the green light. He was white. Not the usual human version of 'white'. No. Dead white which only made the black eye stand out on his right side… the same side he had. He also had a cut lip just like he did. Donnie blinked as he quickly checked out the child's arms. Not only did Bobby have bruises there, he had the exact same bruises, even the shape of them on the skin… Donatello had found himself shaking when his brain caught up to what he was looking at. This was impossible… Completely impossible, so much so that Donnie didn't know what to say, so he settled on not saying anything about it, instead "Did… did he do this to you?" He said in utter appal and accepting along with it every bit of weirdness that had occurred in the few days. Bobby nodded, but the current phenomenon was cut short as they heard in the distance footsteps making their way towards them.

Donnie pressed a finger to his lips as he and Bobby moved out of the line of sight of the caged door. He could feel himself shaking as the boy clung tighter in his arms. He had failed the others, but by god! He had to save this one.

The two couldn't repress another shudder as the footsteps stopped directly outside their cell. A green light was now casting a shadow through the bars onto the floor beside them. The large figure made no attempt to enter the cage, but he did appear to be doing something. Donnie's heart was beating so fast, but the throbbing of his head was making it hard for him to focus on what the shadow was doing…. A long straight thick stick like thing appeared in the shadow's hands. Donnie's brow creased as he curiously watched the shadow, but his head was still spinning from the fall. The figure brought the stick up to his mouth and then a burst of… Music echoed through the tunnel. A flute? A …. a pipe? No! No freaking way! He remembered now. The long silver pipe, half the length of his bo-staff. That was what had kept him here. That was why the prisons weren't too strong. They didn't need to be… The music kept you here….

Was this why he had always been drawn to sticks??

As the notes floated through the air, reaching his ears, Donatello was once again hit with that feeling, that wonderful feeling that every troubling thought, or even every thought he had ever had, just wanted to float away with the notes. It felt like pressure was building in the back of his head, and it wasn't just his head injure causing it.

"Don't listen to him." Bobby whispered. "He's drawing out your soul, trying to steal it! You're still alive, you can fight him…" The child pleaded.

Donnie shook his head as though trying to wake himself up. "Steal the soul?" He repeated but then his blood ran cold as he then heard what sounded like many heavy doors opening and then many little feet running towards them. The ghostly sounds of the children cry's echoed louder than the pipe music…. But Donnie had seen… The children were… dead!

"He steals their souls and then turns them into monsters." Bobby whispered.

"Monster's in nightmares. He'll send them after you."

"Who?"

"Your nightmares." He answered in a quivering voice. "Don't let him turn me into a monster!" The moment the words had left Bobbies mouth the music and the sound of the children instantly stopped and the green lights went out!

In the complete black the turtle stood up, still holding the child in his arms. What was happening? He stood there trying to ignore the blood pounding in his ears and the hopeless feeling that was festering in his gut, consuming him… A strange sound broke through their despair. He lifted his head and listened intently. It was a strange moan. Donnie's breathing caught as a foreign sound cut through the silence of the cell like a well-honed blade. His heart clenched in fearful panic as more noise interrupted him. He twisted his head towards the sound, but saw nothing in the darkness. "What is that?" Donnie whispered clinging the ice cold child to him tighter. One way or another he was walking out of here with Bobby before dealing with Robert, and he would deal with him. He wasn't a defenceless child anymore.

Choking back his grief but with fearful determination, Donnie scoot the boy up in his arms and made his way out of the cell. Pushing his shell against the heavy door and stumbled into the open to find his way blindly back towards the ladder, ignoring the strange moans and groaning that seemed to fill the air around him. Bobbie's hot breath on his neck sent shivers down his spine and goose-bumps along his skin as he walked.

"Donnie they're here." Bobby whispered terrified at the many moans and growling around them.

Donnie choked on his fear and panic and took a frightened silent step in the direction of the exit. If he couldn't see them, they couldn't see him, he told himself. But the smell of waste that drifted up and assaulted his nostrils. He knew that smell…. Oh god! He thought as a low growl alerted him to someone, or something, standing just behind him.

Not releasing the child, Donnie slowly turned, his whole body became numb with horrified terror as he stared directly into the massive furious black eyes of the man who had attacked and imprisoned him as a child. The man who had haunted his nightmares, only now his hair was longer and it was silvery white. Resembling nothing less than a monster, the hair draped over a white dead face. Even in the darkness he could see his bright yellow coat.

His heart coming to a grinding halt, whereas his feet suddenly got the burst of energy they needed. Donnie ran for his and the child's life.

Ignoring whatever was making the moaning sounds surrounding him, he ran straight through them until he saw the little green light acting as a beacon for the way back up at the other end of the first caged door. No need to prying the lock and sneaking out this time. The last door was almost throne off its hinges as the ninja turtle burst through. The force caused the door to bounce off the side wall and close back into place.

Without thinking Donnie pulled out his phone and shoved it in Bobbie's hand. The terrified child looked at him confused.

"Listen to me." Donnie said quickly. "I am going to lift you up. You grab hold of that ladder up there and climb. Whatever you do, don't look back. When you get to the top run forward until you're out of the passage. Once you're out, turn left, that will take you back to the main sewer tunnel. Hide there and keep pushing this red button until three men who look just like me….in…in green turtle costumes. They will find you with this phone. Go with them Bobby. Trust them and they will take you home."

"But what about you?" Bobby asked but Donnie had already lifted him up onto his shoulders, making the very light boy stand on him.

"Reach Bobby! Climb now!" He yelled hearing the terrifying sound of the pipe music coming up behind them. Seconds later the little feet and the weight vanished.

"Thank you for setting me free Donatello." Was the last the turtle heard before the door was once again violently blown open and Donnie felt the familiar presence creeping up behind him.

"Hello Donnie! It's been a long time." The cold voice cut into the back of his neck like razor blades.

 **To be continued...** **End notes: Great! Another cliffhanger! Okay I hope I can update the new chapter sooner. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere :D** **P.S: If you guys have tips or advices for writing story or critics for my english-because english is not my first language-, please PM me. Okay?! ;) I'd love to hear any of your words. And I'm sorry if I didn't reply all of your reviews. I'm kinda busy sometimes ;(** **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story** **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story** **Bye bye for now** **With Love and hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**


	11. Author's Notes

**Author's note:**

I think I'm not updating the new chapter. I'm not sure when. Because me and my family are going celebrate my holiday and going some vacation. I'm really sorry.


	12. Chapter 11

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! After having a long hiatus, I'm back again. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.** **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)** **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS** **With Love and Hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Eleven:

The Pide Piper

"Where are we going? Do you know where we are going? Point me in the right direction!" Mikey chanted uselessly, running blindly ahead of his brothers down the sewer tunnel.

"Mikey if we knew where we were going, we would have found him 10 years ago!" You could practically hear Raph rolling his eyes as he said this. Mikey replied under his breath, saying something that was probably very smart ass in nature. The hot headed brother would never admit it, but he was having a hard time keeping up with his spirited orange brother.

"Well we know he's down that tunnel, we just have to find the right slip passage." Mikey barked rounding a corner and almost slipping.

Raph snorted. "Oh is that all. I don't know why I was worried."

"There are dozens of those slip passages that lead to hundreds of other tunnels!" Leo yelled frantically, but this fact didn't slow them down any. After all they weren't too far away now.

"What the hell are we going to do when we get there Leo? I swear if anything happens to Donnie-!" Raph growled at the mere possibility. The thought of any unwanted visitor prowling around his family was too much to bear. But he was too laced with frustration, worry, guilt, and confusion to finish his threat.

Without breaking his stride the leader glanced at his hot headed brother, mirroring each of his emotions. The winding knot in his chest pulled all the tighter, but he had to keep a levelled head. He had to think of a way of locating Donnie when they got there. Obviously they would split up to cover more ground, but realistically unless they got lucky how were they going to find the right passage? Splinter was a rat! A born scavenger and tracker. 10 years ago his reflexes and senses had been even better than they were now, and even he had not been able to locate Donnie back then. What chance did they have??

"A miracle! That's what we need. A freaking miracle-" Raph just spat

"Hey the tracker…its…its back!" Mikey came to such an abrupt halt that both Leo and Raph almost ran into him.

"Back? Oh come on Mikey, if turtle luck was going true to form that would never hap…"??" Raph was cut off by Mikey waving the phone in their faces, smiling from ear to ear.

"Really-?"

"Miracle granted bro's. Let's not waste it!" Mikey quickly examined his screen, aligning it with the phone's map to measure out the distance between his phone and Donnie's tracker. "He's… he's… here! The signal it's just over there." He pointed. They all looked in the directed direction, the tunnel ahead of them was completely void of life, and yet the Shellcell showed that their brother's phone was just a few feet in front of them.

"Donnie?" Leo called curiously. No answer.

"DONNIE!" Raph yelled so loud that his voice echoed…..still nothing.

"It's moving… bro's the signal it's moving…. Well he didn't drop his phone then." The brothers looked at one another before stepping forward.

"Where's it going Mikey? Direct us!" Leo pulled out his weapons as did Raph before advancing forward menacingly.

Confused the youngest glued his eyes to the screen. The little dot was definitely moving of its own accord, moving away from them. "Left! It's going back towards the old part where we were going. Donnie why you running from us bro?" Mikey called out following his two big brothers into the dark.

"I don't like this." Raphael muttered. The cold in the tunnel caused an uneasy feeling to settle in, slowly the feeling ate its way down the back of their necks, and each step they took grew colder. It felt like they were being lured into a trap, yet what choice did they have? Something really strange was going on here.

Anger was overriding the waves of nausea. Victory now bittered by regret as Donatello once again faced his long forgotten, and very not dead, nightmare. This man was a memory, buried for years, and yet somehow he had still been present, for all this time. It was a feeling like a drug running through his veins.

With a look that could freeze hell, Donnie glared into the eyes of the man called Robert…. The Piper. Although while Donnie went through the horror movie role of memories, he thought it was strange that the man still seemed to tower over him. (Or was it just his fear distorting his vision?) His mouldy yellow coat with the hood was now pulled up so his features were dripping in shadow, but Donnie could still see his eyes… they seemed to glow gold in the green light. Large rats followed him, swarming around him like bees on honey. His claw like hands were coated in yellow matching gloves, and there... in his hand, the Piper held what Donnie considered the key to this prison, a long silver pipe.

Robert did not seem at all surprised to see the turtle, more delighted. "So many years. I called for you for so long to come back… But you were the only one who had ever gotten away from me. Although…" the sinister high pitch voice that Donnie remembered so well chuckled. "A mutant turtle wasn't something I was ever likely to forget." The man stepped closer, causing Donnie to take an equally large step back.

He could practically feel his shell against the stone. "But no one can escape my music… how did you?" He asked most curiously.

"I just forgot about you." Donnie spat in a cold tone. He meant it as an insult, noting that these were the first words he had spoken to this man in 10 years. Well he was hardly likely to say "Hi. How have you been?" and besides he wasn't lying. He had forgotten about him. The Piper just didn't need to know that he had had help in doing so. "You took all those kids from the street above!!" He stated, hoping that the venom in his voice sounded threatening. Then he squared up to his full height. "At least one child is free from you." Even in the dark the turtle didn't miss the twinge of irritation on the Pipers face.

"He'll come back. They all come back once they hear me calling." He looked over the injuries on the turtles face. "I don't like getting rough. I only do that when they try to fight back. They need to learn."

Donnie looked over the Piper's shoulder back towards the grave/prisons. The bile in his stomach threatened to make him vomit again. "You killed them…. with music…? How - What are you?" It was a loaded question. When Donnie was a kid, this man had been nothing less than a monster with some kind of supernatural force around him… but he was a grown up now. A skilled ninja, and a scientist no less. He should be able to see this man for what he was now. A psychopath for sure, but how was he doing this? Was he a doctor drugging them? An illusionist? A hypnotist? No….he was a monster with a supernatural force working for him. The realisation hadn't come from anywhere, but nothing else inside Donnie's brain or his heart could offer anything else.

"I'm the Pied Piper and the children are happy with me, once they let go of their mortal bodies all their fears and pain go with it. I only take those most consumed by pain…. I can see it in them, just as I saw it in you so long ago, and it's still there even now. You should stay here with me. You would be a lot happier."

Donnie's mouth spasmed around the sentence he wanted to say, garbling the remainder of the thought. Even in the dark he could see the man's hideous and rotten teeth gaping at him. "Such an amazing creature. You would be the pride of my collection." The insidious voice washed over him.

Donnie grinded his teeth at that, but he kept waiting for the human to make the first move. Then he would show him that he wasn't such a helpless child any more. Taking a fighting position Donnie brought up his bo-staff. The piper eyed the weapon, but didn't make any attempt to attack him.

"You come for revenge turtle?"

"No. Justice. For all of them." Donnie grips his staff, ready to fight. But the piper just smiles darkly at him.

"Oh no. There's no need for violence." The man brought the pipe up to his mouth. The purple clad turtle didn't even get a moment to react.

At first he was confused sense no music was coming out of it this time, instead it was as if feelings themselves burst from the instrument. A wonderful, warm, and yet suffocating feeling. It was nice for a second, and then the hopelessness that was festering in his gut started to consume him. Donatello gasped as he struggled between surrender and control, but his mind started to wonder. The darkness shielding the prison tunnel began to grow bright and colourful. The hideous moans transformed into the happy laughter of children.

"No this isn't real." Donnie told himself.

"Of course it's real. This is my gift to you. All are safe and loved here." The now not so scary voice of the piper fluttered through the air like a butter fly. "Not like your brothers. They never cared. They left you then and they have left you now."

The mention of his brothers brought with it a stab of pain, Donnie thought about the sound of their cruel laughter as they left him alone in the dark. Always leaving him behind…. "No! Don't listen…." He tried to fight.

"Come join us Donatello." A hand out of nowhere was gesturing for him to come join the other children. Donnie could see them in the next room, only, the room was no longer a cold stone prison. It was a forest like garden…. He knew this place. He had seen it before. Even the horrid smell of waste had faded out to be replaced by the smell of flowers. Weird. Some of the children were dancing and spinning around. Playing in the grass. Eating candy. Kids just being kids. They looked so happy and content. The kind of life he and his brothers would have craved when they were that age.

"You can walk in the sunlight here. You can be accepted. I can give you everything you could ever want." He said again, this time more firmly.

"Donatello!" For a second Donnie thought he heard his father's voice. That was quickly pushed to the side.

"What other things has your family done to you that your father made you forget about? He is no better than the rest of them. Come with me and you can put all that pain behind you."

Though every nerve in his body was objecting, Donnie couldn't help but smile warmly. He felt so at peace. He could be happy here, he thought. All he had to do was stop thinking.

"What has thinking ever done for you? Don't you want a break from thinking and start living?" The words soothed him. There was a longing. A longing to be free, to be accepted. To be loved like he loved April. Before he knew what was happening Donatello was walking back through the caged door…. Only, the cage was gone, and warm sunlight washed down upon him. All fear gone. All thoughts, gone. All of himself….going.

 **To be continued...** **End notes: Okay I hope I can update the new chapter on next week. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere :D** **P.S: If you guys have tips or advices for writing story or critics for my english-because english is not my first language-, please PM me. Okay?! ;) I'd love to hear any of your words. And I'm sorry if I didn't reply all of your reviews. I'm kinda busy sometimes ;(** **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story** **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story** **Bye bye for now** **With Love and hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**


	13. Chapter 12

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! I'm back with new chapter! Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.** **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)** **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS** **With Love and Hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Twelve:

Save Him!

It had taken some time for Splinter to collect his thoughts long enough to meditate. His three son's long overdue confession had placed the father in a position of confusion and disappointment beyond anything he had expected from them. But mostly he was sad. Sad for his third youngest. Whatever horror he had been through as a child, finding out about his brother's thoughtlessness only now must have hurt him tenfold.

The day little Donatello had first gone missing, and then everything that led up to him erasing his son's memory was playing over and over in his mind, like a broken record. He remembered his five year old blue, red, and orange clad son's running back into the lair, with a look of sheer panic on their little faces. He remembered his own voice, attempting to sound soothing as he tried to coax his recently returned purple clad child out from under his blankets. All of it, all of this, was unpleasant.

However it is clear that this mistake pained his three faulty sons back then, as it pains them now. Splinter knew they had not set out for Donatello to be deliberately hurt so badly, and if this human had not intervened, maybe the brother's joke would not have had such bad repercussions.

He too could admit that he had made similar mistakes towards Saki as a child. But because of him his sons never got the chance to naturally reconcile for this grievance. There has been no opportunity for time to fog the pain, or for their child minds to put it as just another wrong done for the sake of youth. His sons have gotten the luxury of none of these things, because Donatello didn't even remember it. The hindsight was twisting a knot in his gut. This was his fault. He should have kept trying to get Donatello to open up instead of resorting to such measures, and then maybe the others would have confessed. Splinter sighed regretfully. They have all failed Donatello, and now everyone was suffering. The look in Donatello's eyes before he left had held such sadness and betrayal that Splinter worried that this rift may never fully be mended. Once more the rat sighed as he made an attempt to clear his mind. He would address his four boy's situation later. Here and now he had to think of Donatello's safety.

His children were never more than a thought away, the old rat had spent the last hour in meditation trying to locate his smart son but… he had been unable to do so. The dark presence that Splinter had sensed and protected Donatello from 10 years ago was back, but worse, now it was stronger. His mind-made protective shield had been lifted, and it was as though this force has just been lurking there, waiting for these defences around his son to drop for all these years. He shouldn't have let Donatello leave. Now he knew his son was running straight into danger.

Again Splinter bravely reached out into the darkest parts of his mind, venturing further into it so he could reach his son… When he was suddenly confronted by a wall of coldness. Though he had not physically moved from the safety of his dojo, he felt as though a waterfall of ice had just been poured over him. The shock of it stabbed him in the chest, forcing him back. Donatello's aura was just ahead of him somewhere, but for only a few seconds before it…vanished.

"Donatello!" Splinter called out. The light of his son suddenly felt miles away and the rat found himself on all fours, gasping. After a few short moments he would swear that he had just ran a marathon while being chased by the Shredder himself. Where was his son?? The dark phantom surrounding the purple clad turtle had now consumed his light, and Splinter knew that his son was out of even his reach. Donatello was….gone.

No! His stomach clenched so hard he thought he might throw up. Trembling slightly, he quickly pulled himself back up into the sitting position. It couldn't be true. Donatello could NOT be dead. Even if he was mere seconds from it there had to be some spark of life left he could reach out and grab a hold of. He wasn't willing to believe it until he had more concrete evidence. Splinter pushed with his mind harder, but that was when he realised that something was blocking him, or someone.

Instantly the rat master was overcome with a defensive, almost animalistic urge, as he finally faced the unknown "figure" that was standing in between him and his child.

"Where is my son?" He growled at the malignant presence. It didn't answer. "What have you done to him?" Accusation bled out of the question. He was afraid to ask the next, but he had to. "Is he still alive?"

"Not for much longer." It snapped with an insidious growl. Splinter almost jumped as he felt its dark energy assault him… Yellow…he could just see yellow. This was no mere human, at least not completely. But by the time the old rat master had managed to get over his shock, the presence had dissipated. It felt to Splinter almost like having a cast iron door slammed in his face, and he could no longer reach Donatello. Still half in his trance Splinter found himself running out of the Dojo to warn his sons, only to find the lair completely empty. They had already left. Of course they had. He had told them to go, but how were they ever going to find their brother? They didn't know he was in such danger –

"….Hello?" Splinter's thoughts were suddenly cut off. Something had swept by him, he just knew it! Something that shouldn't be here, and yet it was. He wasn't at all sure what it was, only that it was there. Still fighting the clenching, swirling sickness, he made his way back to his mat, sitting down once again to try and reach out to his son. It certainly wasn't Donatello, but it was a living being close enough for him to reach. He was still mentally locked out, but someone else was locked out with him.

"Who are you?" the rat asked in a careful manner. The second presence acknowledged him but didn't reply. "Please he's going to kill my son." The father pleaded desperately. "Can you get to him?" The life form didn't appear to be threatening, and yet it was definitely connected somehow. He wanted to be suspicious but the desperation was clawing its way up, overruling any concerns he should be having. "I beg you. Can you help him, please!?" The rat's normally calm and controlled voice came close to breaking. He knew the presence could hear him, and then it vanished, just like that. The rat master had not yet abandoned his quest to search for his son, but somehow he got the feeling that Donatello wasn't completely alone. He couldn't explain it, and he still didn't know what was going on.

A light damp mist rose up, hovering in the air from the stream, or was it that his eyes were just foggy? The sunlight seemed to follow him wherever he walked, as though it was never going to leave again. The trees surrounding them were large and beautiful. The flowers dazzled him with a range of colours. The lush green land was like something out of a fairy tale picture book that had been re-made into a silver screen movie. It just looked to go on forever. You could see that just beyond the forest was an endless and well-nourished country side. Nothing like New York City at all. It was even more beautiful than the forest that surrounded April's farm house. In fact it could be one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen in his life. Perfect…so perfect… too perfect…. Like a film set perfect.

No sign of the Shredder or his soul crushing vengeance here. No more fighting for survival. He would never even have to worry about driving himself crazy with having to formulate words to argue some point over, and over, and over again to ears that might as well have been deaf. Or quickly have to stress about coming up with a clever, but complicated answer, to an ever more complicated and dangerous problem. No, everything here was just mind numbing bliss, and his inner child was loving every moment of it. If Donatello had ever wondered what it would be like to live free in such a wonderful place before, now he knew. This experience had well and truly cemented itself into his mind. Donnie walked through the crowd of children. There were a lot more here than eight of them. There were dozens of them in fact. All dressed in very different clothing. Some were modern while others…looked like they had stepped out of an Oliver Twist novel. But the important thing was that they all looked happy. Some were playing with a skipping rope, while others rolled down the grass laughing their heads off or climbing the trees. None of them even looked scared when they looked up at the tall lanky mutant staring back at them. There was one he noticed in particular. A little girl skipping happily towards him. Their eyes met for a second as they crossed each other's path. She couldn't have been more than 4 years old. She wore a long white dress with pink spots. On top she wore a long bright red hooded coat and her light hair was cut into a flicked out bob. Her big brown eyes could have even given Mikey's best puppy dog expression a run for its money. She was positively adorable. The turtle smiled as she skipped passed him. This was such a nice place. Why had he been trying to escape? They were safe here. They all were.

All he felt now was gratitude that he had taken a leap of faith so far out of his comfort zone. Coming to this place must have taken a lot of courage. The only problem he could remember from his journey to get here was feeling a tad sick on the way. He still felt sick… Was that because everything around him seemed to be going in slow motion? Everything just felt like such a dream. Who would have thought that such a wonderland could be here all this time….in the….sewers… of the city? That didn't seem logical.

The sceptical thoughts tried to pry their way into his breathing space. But no. All he needs is some fresh air to blow away the last of his troubling thoughts, then he can relax…. Fresh air was going to have to work bloody wonders today!

Somehow reading his mind someone whispered, "No thinking now Donatello. Just enjoy yourself." The turtle jumped and swivelled about, trying to face the voice he knew belonged to Robert, but he still couldn't see him anywhere. Donnie never usually had any problem figuring things out, but this place fogged the mind. He just wanted to soak up the relief that he actually hadn't done a bad thing and left all these poor children in some dark, cold, desolate place to die. Besides now he would be here to always take care of them. "It's time to let go Donatello." Robert said again from nowhere. His voice was like music. Soft soothing music. Donnie came to a stop while he contemplated what that meant. "I promise it won't hurt." He said kindly. "You let go and you will never have to leave. You do want to stay don't you? Reclaim the childhood you never had." Donnie didn't answer right away. It was so nice here. So nice, and no one could ever hurt him. Make him feel unwanted….but, there was just something missing… What was it?

A little tap on his foot made Donnie looked down and see the same little girl again, sitting in the grass wearing a red coat. She looked to have walked out of a fairy tale story herself. "Would you stay here and play with us turtle man?" She asked in a voice that sounded like it had been dipped in sugar. Donnie went to kneel down beside her, when he realised he was still holding his bo-staff. Why did he still have this? Why was he gripping onto it so tightly? He didn't need it anymore, yet he still wouldn't release it.

"What's your name?" Was what he was just about to ask her when through the crowd of kids he saw another child running towards him. He was running so fast that he thought the boy was going to try and knock him over, but instead the new child stopped just before, wrapping his little arms around his middle. He couldn't quite get his arms around his shell but he remained there, holding the turtle in a slightly awkward hug as though the mutant was his long lost friend. Donnie just stood there, a little shocked, unsure how to respond to this affection he was suddenly getting so much of.

"The children really seem to take to you." The echoing of the Piper laughed happily from somewhere.

"Don't listen to him." The boy whispered. Donnie's brow creased in confusion.

"You're still alive. You need to see them!" The boy pleaded without breaking his hug.

"Please Donnie see them." He could see the boy was crying… Why was he crying? He shouldn't be crying in such a wonderful place…? And why was his face so beaten….? Then it hit him.

"Bobby?" The turtle felt his blood run cold. "Bobby James what are you doing here? I set you free."

"It's all a lie." Bobby pointing to the little girl sitting below them. Donnie blinked at her as the girl's smile faded. She wasn't happy at all. Nor was she sitting in the grass, but instead a cold stone pit. Chains locked around her tiny dirty bloody wrists. She was sobbing…no she was screaming bloody murder, trying to reach out of her filthy hole that was swallowing the little girl up like quicksand. Donnie went to pull her out, but Bobby held him back. All the children were screeching at him so loud that it made his ears want to bleed. No! This couldn't be. Donnie blocked it all out, as the truth was too terrible for him to comprehend, and just like that the entire atmosphere of the Piper's world changed back...

"You can choose your world Donatello. Reality is just a matter of perception. You want things nice and easy, then just stop letting reality bother you. Stop thinking about others who don't care about you." The Piper muttered, not losing one shred of his confidence. Donnie still couldn't see him but he knew Robert was grinning wide. Like a predator surveying its pray. "It's always been your choice. No consequences. Just choose the easy road for once and you can have it all."

The sun shined down hotter upon them, and the next second the happy little girl was back, playing in the grass with the other children. The purple clad turtle knew what the man was saying and he had to admit, it was tempting. Just live in a world that was filled with bright days and rainbows. The truth of reality was so much more bleak and depressing. Everything always had to be so hard and violent for them. Everywhere his family and he went they were met with hate. Not even just because they were mutants, the humans just seemed to hate everything. Even each other. It didn't matter how much you tried to help, it didn't make any difference because everyone just wanted it their own way, even if it meant living in …. Hell.

Why should he stay in a world that didn't want him?

Bobby still hadn't released him. "Donatello please." He begged. But the turtle stood frozen to the spot as the seeping, creeping, poisonous self-doubt spread through him. He looked again at the little girl on the ground. He still didn't know her name. Then he looked at all the others surrounding him. How could he be happy in a place he knew was a lie?

"Better to live a lie than face reality." The Piper said, still pushing. "Everybody does in some way or another. Look around you. So many are drinking or taking drugs, always looking for the fastest escape from reality. Even you and your brothers do the same thing. Your youngest brother lives with his head in comics. The angry one, his mind is always lost in the rage of the battle, while the eldest is constantly hiding in meditation…while you live with your head in a computer." He chuckled.

Donnie gasped. How could this human know so much about him and his brothers? But again before he could even ask the question the piper answered it. "I am in your head Donatello. I know everything you do."

Donnie sighed. He was right…but that didn't mean he had to agree. His grip tightened around his bo-staff. "Just let go." Donnie felt an icy hand slowly creep onto the back of his shoulder. He could feel the Piper breathing down his neck. Donnie quickly pushed Bobby away from him before spinning around and with a high sweep of his bō it connected with the man's face, sending the long silver pipe flying. The smothering feeling and the sun in the bright blue sky instantly vanished, as though it had just been flicked off by a simple switch, leaving Donnie once again in grimy green darkness. The inhuman moaning had returned, and Donnie watched in horror as the monster's nightmares blossomed from the shadows snatching and absorbing the child spirits at will. The little girl nearest to him was the last to be reclaimed. He watched as she transformed into the black inhuman shadow figure that he had seen in his nightmares. Her eyes burned like fire, and she admitted a defensive snarl before everything just melted into the background, and silence fell once again.

 **To be continued...** **End notes: OH NO!!! This is getting complicated! Okay I hope I can update the new chapter on next week. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere :D** **P.S: If you guys have tips or advices for writing story or critics for my english-because english is not my first language-, please PM me. Okay?! ;) I'd love to hear any of your words. And I'm sorry if I didn't reply all of your reviews. I'm kinda busy sometimes ;(** **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story** **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story** **Bye bye for now** **With Love and hugs,** **Hyuna ;)**


	14. Chapter 13

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! I'm back with new chapter! Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this.**

 **And thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Thirteen:

Follow the Leader

"What the hell is going on?" Raphael yelled as they continued to follow the still moving signal down the sewer passage. At this point they had figured out that it couldn't be Donnie leading them. The signal was to…perfect. No matter how fast or slow they ran the little dot on their T-phones stayed the exact same distance away from them. No one, not even Donnie, could flee so meticulously. But that didn't stop Mikey from calling to him.

"Donnie! Come on bro, answer me, please." He pleaded hopelessly into the dark echoing tunnel, which Mikey swears was getting scarier by the second. Mikey called out again as Raph quickly dove around a corner to try and catch a glimpse of whatever it was they were following. He was faced with a long stretch of nothing. The only way they could be getting the signal was from Donnie's phone, but there was no sign of even that. But if it wasn't their brother leading them down here then who was it?

Mikey continued calling as they frantically searched for their missing brother. His tone grew more and more desperate. By now they were only minutes away from reaching the abandoned tunnels and were seriously wondering if the signal was going to continue?

Just as they were about to approach the underbelly of Piper Avenue Leo came to a stop. "Hold up a minute guys." Leo said holding out his hand to prevent his brothers from going any further.

"What? Leo what the hell are we waiting for? The signals going this way." Mikey snapped, which was not a good sign. Mikey only ever snapped when he was on the verge of freaking out.

"We're being baited."

"What does it matter even if we are, as long as it leads us to Donnie?" Mikey huffed, deeming his brother's point unimportant.

"Well it might matter just a tiny bit if we get ambushed by whoever the hell has Donnie's phone." The leader pointed out, ignoring the look from both his brothers that could have melted ice, then set the puddle ablaze.

"So what? Are we just going to stand here? Go home and leave Donnie like last time?!" Raph spat.

"No of course not. We just need to be smart about this." Leo snapped back at him. The leader couldn't blame his brothers for their anxiety. He was feeling it just as much. The panicked desire to rush was somehow physically pushing them forward, but the bottom line was he didn't know what was going on or who was behind this. He had to think about what would be the safest course of action for all of them. Leo couldn't really explain it but he seemed to be anticipating a barrier between them and Donatello.

Mikey meanwhile, held tight onto the phone, ready to start running again at the drop of a hat. The signal had bizarrely and suspiciously stopped along with them. It was just a few feet ahead. Raph shook uneasily. Surprisingly he seemed to find himself trapped on the middle ground, torn between finding his brother and not getting caught. "But if we don't follow it, how are we supposed to find him? I say we keep going. Then once we're there, let all hell break loose." He cracked his knuckles demonstrating his point.

"That might not be the best idea Ra -" Leo was cut off by a sound. A beautiful sound of the phone buzzing, along with Donatello's name lighting up the little screen like a SOS firework lost out at sea. In a heartbeat Mikey had pushed the loud speaker button.

"DONNIE!" he said frantically. "Dammit Don where are you!" Mikey almost shouted, hoping to hear a smart ass remark from his older brother. But deafening silence was his only answer. After a couple minutes of silence Mikey looked up at his two brother's helplessly. Someone was there. They could hear the breathing but it was in the background.

"That isn't Donatello." Leo whispered as they all gathered around the phone. If the other person on the line had just spoken they would likely be able to hear them in the tunnel, but there was nothing. The silence drew a shiver of fear down their shells.

Not being able to take the tension anymore, Raph yelled at the phone in Mikey's hand. "Quit playing games with us! Who the hell are you and what have you done with my brother??"

It was then that a strange sound broke through their despair. They lifted their heads and listened intently. It was a strange whispering. It wasn't Donnie, but whoever it was sounded like they were in a great deal of pain, restricting them from speaking any louder.

"Don't abandon him again."

Was all the voice said, then it hung up and the signal started moving again of its own accord. But the three brothers remained perfectly still as though ice had directly entered their beating hearts and froze them solid. That had been a child's voice. Oh my god! Donnie had been right. Somehow, somewhere between them stepping out of the lair and now, everything had just changed. This revelation yanked hard at the brother's guts and their brains were suddenly firing in all directions. "What do you know guys, the stories were right." Mikey whispered.

The situation, that had already been quite bad, had just taken a violent shove into catastrophic so fast that even Leo looked like he was going to be sick. Things took an even worse turn as the strange chill washing over them dropped both in temperature and form. The tinged black foggy form of cold somehow seemed to flood the tunnel. The turtle brothers gasped in horror as shadow people immerged upward from the floor, surrounding them. Their eyes a burning light, like little candles.

At first the three brothers remained silent, almost paralysed with fear. It was that deep fear inside that was triggered by something irrational, and yet so uncomfortably real that it made you shiver. At the sight of the purgatory life forms Leo found himself unable to move or even breathe. Only his eyes moved as each bit of light cast around them was snuffed out.

Heart sufficiently clenched, Mikey handled his fear very openly. Deciding that they were screwed anyway, he took this moment to scream in terror as the putrid hands reached out for him.

Raph's automatic reaction to fear instantly kicked in and he charged at the first figure closing in on his baby brother, but his blade just went right through it. Realizing that this shit was real the turtles took their defensive stance, shells pressing together as half a dozen of the figures swarmed around them. They were too solid to be just shadows, and they seemed to have too much mass to be just ghosts.

"What the hell are these things?" Mikey whispered holding up his weapons like they were a crucifix at a vampire.

"The darkest night, on the darkest street, you'll hear the shuffle of his haunted feet." They chanted in a voice that could not be mistaken for human.

"Children!" Leo gasped as the face of one rushed by him. "These are...kids!"

 **"You'll see him immerge from his endless maze, with a coat to set your eyes ablaze."** They chanted

"Well I don't think they want us to have a tea party with them." The red clad sneered.

 **"Then you'll hear the silver sing, come and play to its charming ring."**

"Is this sounding familiar to anyone else or is it just me?" Leo said recollecting his memory from his brother's nightmare.

"Bro's at what point did we wonder behind enemy lines and not realise it?" Mikey backed away a bit more. Nothing scared the orange clad turtle more than the idea of ghosts…or whatever these things were. The other two didn't appear too comfortable with it either.

 **"Go with him without remorse, if you don't, you'll go by force."**

"Is that so?" Raph stepped forward challengingly. Though he knew it was pointless, his grip on his sai tightened. The attack didn't start until the brothers tried to move out of the circle, then it all went to shit.

 **To be continued...**

 **End notes: Okay I hope I can update the new chapter on next week. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere ;)**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story**

 **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story**

 **Bye bye for now**

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**


	15. Chapter 14

**Author notes:**

 **Hi guys! I'm back with new chapter! Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter 14

The Pipe whispers

Disoriented by the rapid scenery changes, Donnie had to blink a few times for his eyes to adjust before again seeing the bars and the rotten wooden beams which was somehow still holding up the hell bound prison tunnel above them.

Donnie heard the instrument hit the stone floor with a loud clatter and both the Piper and he quickly gone in pursuit of it. The Piper had tried to reach it first, but the ninja deflected him, landing another pretty damn good blow to the man's face. A truly proud wince worthy moment. With a snarl the coward instantly abandoned his fight and in a blink of an eye he had somehow vanished into the shadows leaving the turtle with an opening to escape. A far too convenient opening…

Donnie wasted no time picking up the long silver pipe. It was hot to the touch but the turtle held onto it as though his life depended on it. Without this the Piper was helpless. His first instinct was to break it, maybe try and cut it in half with his blade. But just as he moved to do so - it was almost like the instrument knew what he was going to do…. But it was just a pipe. It wasn't alive… was it? At first all he felt was a slight vibration that travelled all the way up his arm, then it was as though his entire body was shifting in and out of reality through a series of violent tremors. Just as he thought he was about to vomit he started gasping as vivid images filled his mind's eye. As though he was seeing it from chapters of a picture book, the story of the Light, then of the Clay that feeds the Fire…..This was how the Pied Piper came to be and why he did what he did. What he had asked for and the price he paid for it. The turtle was so overcome that he could barely remain standing. This wasn't just an instrument, it was a weapon used by the darkest forces of evil. Able to manipulate matter, the very foundation of reality. It would fall into mortal hands and make them… less mortal. The children were the price…"No!" Donnie gasped.

"The Pipe doesn't just sing lies Donatello. It's the key to the next dimension. Now you know my secret. Now you can't ever leave." The Piper whispered from the shadows.

The turtle looked up. His anger bubbling to dangerously high levels. "It's not your place or your right to toy with such forces, and you know that or else you would come out here and face me. But you're too scared to fight someone your own size." Don's voice tore through the stiff atmosphere. He was ready to strike again. Right there he had decided he would only take the opportunities that would take the Piper down for good, but he couldn't see him anywhere. The tunnel had many dark crevices perfect for hiding in. This was his game board. Donnie new he was at a disadvantage. The Piper was there, somewhere watching him, waiting to strike. It was at this point

Donnie realised that he didn't actually know where he was. While in his trance he had been blindly herded deeper into the underground maze. The turtle let out a long train of very aggressive curses as the unfamiliar feeling of Claustrophobia threatened him. His breathing caught as his heart seemed to swell, constricting his breathing. The blood started to pound in his ears. This was why people were afraid of the dark. It wasn't the dark itself. It was because they couldn't see what was coming for them.

How he wished his brothers were here right now.

Quickly the ninja started running, though he wasn't sure which direction he was heading in. Another new tunnel was on every corner. His echoing footsteps was deafening but not as much as his heart beat was. For all he knew he could be heading even deeper. No sign of any children… only the smell told him that they weren't too far away… How many were down here?

"Bobby!" Donnie yelled franticly. He had to find him and get out of here. "Bobby where are you?" He panicked. He couldn't leave him behind.

"You think you can find your way out of here again little turtle?" Robert's sadistic voice seemed to leak out from every hole in the wall. Donnie ignored him but the lump in his throat grew bigger. He continued to search for the boy. How had he been able to come back? The ladder was broken…?

The turtle's thoughts were suddenly shut down as he felt someone approach him from behind, reaching for the pipe. Again Donnie swung around spinning his bo-staff, aiming to land a whack across the man's face. But this time the Piper caught it, holding it tightly in his iron grip, but Don was ready for that. Sweeping his right leg up Donnie flew a roundhouse kick to the other side of the pipers head, breaking the man's grip on the staff and pushing him sideways back into the shadows.

"You're a lot stronger than I remember." He chuckled darkly.

"And you are a lot less scary than I remember!" Don snapped back, hoping the lie wasn't obvious. "You're just a fairy tale. To frighten life lessons into kids… But you're nothing more than a bad dream. YOUR NOTHING!!" He yelled trying to entice him out. It worked.

"You want to dance with me? So mortal, but alright." The ninja couldn't see him, but the voice told him that the Piper was on the move. Putting the silver pipe in his belt, Don quickly went to move again but was stopped by a kick to the face, throwing him on his shell. A quick flip and he was on his feet again waiting for another strike.

"You think we're dancing?" Don spat angrily.

"That's all you have ever done. Every day of your life you have just been dancing and going through the motions." The creepy voice said before the turtle felt a hard hit to his chest. This sent him flying, crashing his shell into one of the wooden beans. Upon impact the wood snapped, bringing some of the stone down that it held up. Rolling aside, Don narrowly avoided missing some bricks landing on him. He gasped for the air that the blow had knocked out of him. He wasn't ready when the Piper loomed over him again.

"For you and your family the dancing never stops, and every day you wake up to the same question… Is this the day I die?" The piper continued to preach at him in-between the blows. Donnie was suddenly dragged up to his feet before he felt a sharp punch across his face. "Death has always been on your heels boy and sooner or later it's going to catch you…. Part of you wants to know what it's like just to stop the uncertainty." The Piper gripped the turtle's wrist and twisted it back, forcing Donnie to drop his bo-staff. "Apart of you is desperate to know what it's like to die… and that's your secret. Not the ninja tricks or the heavy hits you can land. YOU WANT IT-" He was cut off by the turtle's elbow against his shoulder, shoving him back. Donnie tried to make a break for it, but the large man just grabbed him by the neck, forcing him back against another rotten wooden beam. It was already starting to crack under the pressure. The green light attached to the beam flickered. That caught Donnie's eye. The power lines feeding the dim light along the passage ran along the roof above them… Would they lead back to the exit?

"Every warrior has a death wish… Even you!" The Piper leaned closer as he pinned the mutant. Donnie closed his eyes trying to block out his words… He was wrong…he was just trying to mess with his head again. He didn't have a death wish….did he? "The only reason your clan has lasted so long is because you have each other, but you're just putting off the inevitable. And sooner or later you're going to want that release." He then reached out to take the silver pipe from Donnie's belt. "So how about you give in now, and spare yourself the pain of what's coming? And it is coming for you Donatello."

The ninja had to think fast. Releasing his hand from his neck as the man tried to crush his wind pipe. Donnie instead grabbed the Piper by the shoulders and pulled him forward towards himself, increasing the pressure on the wooden beam he was pinned up against. He could even hear it cracking against his shell, when suddenly there was a loud snap and both he and the Piper fell backwards on the ground taking the beam with them as some larger stones crumbled down on top of the two. Donnie was winded by the man's weight. Lucky his protective shell had taken most of the force and managed to wiggle out from under him. The Piper had been stunned by the rocks hitting the back of his head. As he crawled away Donnie snatched his downed bo staff as it caught his eye. He kept crawling.

But Donnie didn't get very far before he felt a hand grab his foot, almost making him fall forward. He turned around to face the Piper on the floor. Donnie clicked out his hidden blade on his bo and held it against the pipe awkwardly, he had barely managed to snatch it out of his belt without dropping it. But this was the only weapon he had against the Piper and he had every intention of destroying it, he just needed to figure out how. "If I break this, your contract will also be broken over the souls!" He said. At that the piper released his grip on his foot and Donnie just ran, following the light cables as he went. He already knew the Piper was on his heels chasing him from somewhere. Dread filled the turtle as it dawned on him what he had to do. If the piper got hold of him again, he would be dead. He had to end this first. It was the only way.

But breaking the pipe was easier said than done. Despite his threat earlier without any momentum Donnie doubted he could break the instrument. The most he could've done back there was maybe cut a thin line into the metal before the Piper would've been on him. No, if he was to cut the pipe in half he would have to toss it in the air or something and slice it with his bo. But his bo was so long, and these tunnels so narrow. This was going to be difficult. But maybe something else could work, or at least give him enough time to make a good slash.

As the turtle ran Donnie held out his staff so it wouldn't get in his way, and without slowing down, he rammed himself shell first to into another passing wooden beam. It snapped on impact. Then he did the same to the next one, then the next….

The sound of crumbling from over his head grew louder. With every beam broken, the structure lost more and more stability. The tunnel started to shake.

"Donnie this way!" The unmistakable voice of Bobby rang out in the dark and in the direction he had started to run in.

"Bobby!" Donatello saw the child standing on the corner waiting for him. He'd almost forgotten about the boy. How did he get over there? Running faster Don charged into the next wooden beam. It easily snapped in two. There was a rippling reaction as more stone fell to the floor. Donnie grabbed the boy as he ran, just avoiding the dusty explosion behind them. Bobby pulled the mutant around a corner and to their relief the exit could be seen just up ahead.

Suddenly he heard the boy whimper but it was too late. Donnie caught a glance of some yellow before Don felt his whole body being violently slammed, back first, into a wall. "RUN!" Don yelled at Bobby before he felt a sharp piercing cut through both his shoulders. Whatever the Piper had punctured him with, it had gone all the way through, digging into the wall behind him. He couldn't even scream it was so painful and white little stars had started to dance in front of his eyes as a shock wave poured all down his body.

"Run run as fast as you can, but you can't catch me, I'm the ginger bread man!" The Piper said mockingly as he pushed what felt like two long screw drivers through Don's deltoid muscles. Struggling to stand, he was hanging a little off the wall!"

As he twisted them Donnie did scream as hot pain began to trickle down his arms. The white face loomed closer to him, almost like he was trying to suck out every gasping breath the mutant was trying to take in. As the Piper moved closer he leaned casually onto one of the screwdrivers. Pushing the thing deeper into Donnie's shoulder blade, the pain was becoming too intense and the darkness gathering around the edge of his brain grew. Everything started to phase out. But he still held the pipe in one hand, and his bo in the other.

"Give it to me and I'll stop." He demanded.

A spark behind the Piper's head caught Donnie's eye. In a mesmerized haze he examined the sparks. It was from one of the green lamps. A broken green lamp. It looks like in the chaos of the fight and the collapsing walls a piece of debris must have broken the thing. Its wiring was exposed. Somehow making the lamps green glow feel less ominous than before, and more… real. Donnie tore his gaze away, spitting out another strangled scream as the Piper smacked the screwdriver he was leaning on as good naturedly as one would smack a best friend on the shoulder. "Give me my pipe." The Piper demanded.

Hoping that at least Bobby had made it to the exit the turtle tightened his hold on the instrument, before offering it up to the Piper in a last desperate attempt for him to be released from the screwdrivers. Taking the pipe the cruel monster snickered, and then backed away. Presumably to get a good look at the pinned and helpless Donatello. His 'one that got away,' it was a beautiful sight. The tunnel was still crumbling down around them, but the evil man seemed to be oblivious. The Piper lifted his instrument back to his lips. The metal pipe rested perfectly horizontal in the Piper's hands.

….Right under the sparking lamp. ……Spark……Metal……Haaah……Wood……Spark…Hick..Metal….Haaaah…..Clay…..

Donnie reacted right as the first unnaturally beautiful note blew out of the pipe's holes. Donnie tossed the bo still clutched in his hand in an underhanded throw, twisting his wrist as he tossed so that the bo would fly vertically. With the up-liftingly soft music playing in the background the wooden staff flew through the air more gracefully that it would have normally appeared. In a spinning metronome of beautiful colours and light the staff hit the pipe, and the sparking lamp, at the same time.

As soon as the wood made contact the Piper started to convulse. Sparks exploded from the lamp as the electricity made its way down the staff, through the metal, and into the man's fingers. Donnie looked away as smoke started to rise from the pipers face. The suddenly clattering sound of his feet told done he was also wearing solid metal toe cap shoes. He seemed to be doing an involuntary reverse break dance worm type move that looked damn uncomfortable. "Dance until you die!" Donnie thought bitterly. The bo had fallen long ago. But it had stayed in contact longer than Donnie anticipated. After the first shock the Piper shifted, unknowingly holding the stick up for a moment longer as it rested against his shaking hands.

A moment was all it took. And no magic here, just simple science.

Donnie reached across his chest, gripping the screwdriver pinning his opposite shoulder, adrenaline making him move faster through the pain. He heard a strange cracking sound, and then the body of the Piper hit the floor as he yanked the screwdriver out with only his wrist muscles. It wasn't a straight yank. New pain blinded his mind.

There was a bang, and the sandy sound of dirt and pieces of roofing hitting the floor became louder. A piece of falling concrete landing right next to his foot brought Donnie back to reality. He looked up and saw that after the shock the Piper must have landed on an already bending beam, sandwiching the man's body in between two halves of the now completely broken beam. The tunnel was coming down fast! With a new surge of energy Donnie shakily reached for the other screwdriver and pulled this one out with a scream. But at least he pulled straight.

Then he ran. The sound of the crumbling tunnel became a continuous roar behind him.

He had to run faster! But he didn't make it. Donnie barely made it past another two still functioning green lamps before the debris caught him. The last thing Donnie remembered was the loud noise of something big cracking above him, before a brute force of something heavy crashed against his shell forcing him down onto the ground. More pain shot through his legs as he hit the floor. The shaking didn't stop. He closed his eyes in wretchedness and waited for something to stop. Either the shaking or his life, and at this point he almost didn't care which one it was. He waited for the cold hand of death to finally end his young life. If he could have just one last thought offered before he died, he wanted to pick something better than the Piper. He wanted to see every last stupid, smart ass and silly and tender moment he had spent with his brothers.

 **To be continued...**

 **End notes:**

 **Okay I hope I can update the new chapter on next week. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere ;)**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story**

 **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story**

 **Bye bye for now**

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**


	16. Chapter 15

**Author notes:**

 **Hi guys! I'm back with new chapter! Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter fifteen:

Set Free

The Hamato brothers had been raised in the dark with nothing more than a few candles to light there way. Darkness to them had always been a friend. Later after Donatello had gotten a little older he started his dangerous hobby of fiddling with the electricity. Miraculously he brought light to the lair, along with a lot of other useful things, eventually making them a bit more Donnie-fied. But even then the darkness had remained a loyal friend, covering the brothers from the world above. The human's frequent trips to paranoia-ville when in the dark had always baffled the brothers... At least until they had gotten older and bravely ventured to the surface, seeing exactly what horror the world had to offer, as well as beauty. Now they understood, the darkness could also be a cold enemy, concealing things from them. It was enough to ignite fear in anyone's heart. Today the Hamato clan knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was actually something in the dark waiting for the perfect moment to make that bump in the night sound, that sound that makes people want to run away from whatever it is that is no doubt after them.

But that didn't mean to say that they had expected the stories about this part of the sewer being haunted to be true! That had taken them by surprise. They had been revved up for a fight against some deserving nitwit who had had the nerve to attack their brother so long ago, but instead they had fallen down the rabbit hole along with their brother. Turns out he wasn't so crazy after all.

didn't know what was happening. All the brothers did know was that it was as cold as hell and they were getting their shells kicked three ways to Sunday. None of their weapons could penetrate the large dark demon figures assaulting them, but their persistence didn't waver. They knew these things were only trying to keep them from their brother. Mikey was the first to figure that out after he was slammed harshly onto the ground, his shell bounced like a basketball against the concrete. Blood trickled from his cut lip as he tried to get back to his feet, but his feet seemed to think that was a bad idea. The sound of his brothers somewhere behind him trying to beat their way through things that clearly could not be hurt, filled his ears.

This fight seemed so pointless.

And Mikey meant that in every possible way. The horror of being attacked by children turning shadows monsters had gone from horrifying, to creepy, to downright annoying. These things could hit, and hit hard. But the things only landed one in every ten punches. Their black claws felt like unwelcome caresses down the skin as they…….gently slapped him?... Mikey wasn't even sure. But mostly the shadows just pushed. It was getting on his last nerve, and no closer to Donnie! In his pouty anger Mikey wanted to stay down on the cold dirty floor for a moment and wait out the throbbing of his shell, when a sound from further down the tunnel reached his ears, echoing from afar. Someone was screaming in such agonising pain that it chilled the orange clad turtle to his core. But it wasn't just the pain filled scream that got to him, it was who was making it. It made all three of the brothers stop and look up.

"DONNIE!" Despite his discomfort the younger turtle was instantly up and running down the passage towards his big brother. The four tunnels were just feet away, but he knew he wouldn't make it the second he felt a cold gross hand lock around his ankle yanking him back. He fell flat onto his carapace before being pulled back and hoisted high up into the air. Raphael tried to reach for him, but the shadowed monster tossed Mikey like a sack of potatoes into Raphael, unforgivingly knocking them both over.

As his brothers tried to untangle themselves from each other Leo was at their side covering them, but his Katana's might as well have been wooden spoons for all the good they did against phantoms. It was like a kite trying to fight the wind. Luckily, other than continuous small pushes, the shadows weren't attacking Leo back. But there was so many of them now. As though they multiplied in numbers the longer the battle drew out. The three brothers were being kept in their tight little circle through sheer numbers.

"I don't think we can win this. We need a new plan." The leader threw a hard look over his shoulder. His guarded body language appeared to warn off some of the shadows but that was all he could do. However the shadows didn't advance. As long as they didn't move any further no more blows or shoves would have to be dodged. The shadows only attacked them when they dared to try to make a brake in their brother's direction.

"The hell we are NOT retreating!" Raph growled getting back to his feet. "They have to have a weakness somewhere! I don't care what ya' say, they can make physical contact, which means we are not fighting freaking ghosts." He stated this like it was an obvious matter of fact.

"My rational side wants to agree with you Raph, but the lack of physical bodies kind of makes a compelling argument." Leo backed further away as the dark figures converged on them, forming a semi-circle and pressing their shells up against the wall.

"Am not saying this shit isn't real! Just we don't know what it is." Raph spat. "Could be sewer trolls or wicked witches for all we know!"

"Who cares who they are, they're hurting Don!" Mikey pleaded. "We can't retreat. We can't leave him again." The baby brother said this while unintentionally releasing the full thrust of his sad puppy eyes. Even the hot headed brother was sporting a very uncharacteristically pleading look in Leo's direction, the sound of his brother being hurt still ringing in his ears.

"No one is going to get left again Mikey I promise. We just need a new plan to get to him." Leo thought for a moment of going to the surface. It was unlikely these things, whatever they were, would follow them, but he didn't know that for sure. Risking humans seeing them was one thing. Taking a risk of releasing these ghostly terrifying creatures topside was something else. There was no telling what would happen. Besides they would have to come back down for Donnie at some point, and then they would be in the same situation. Ok the surface was a dud plan. Plan B… "Maybe just one of us can reach Don while we hold the rest off! Mikey you're the one with the lightening feet." Leo smiled but he knew the chances of this plan working was slim to none.

"Good enough. Hopefully our tour guide is still around." Raph stood retrieving his sai's, and Mikey took a moment to ready his nunchucks before taking their positions beside Leo. Looking into the empty shadowy faces the three of them knew this was a sad plan. But they were ready to fight their way out of this corner, this small, smelly, one-brother-less corner.

Raph and Leo struck out trying to herd the phantoms towards both sides of the tunnel, hoping to make a clear path for Michelangelo to bolt through. But the shadow figures refused to be corralled. One flung it's limbs up wildly, flopping them, and it's shadowed head, forward in a strange head-butt towards Leo. Two other shadows shoved Raph from the other side. Mikey jumped back with a little 'eep' as Leo and Raph collided together, back to back. Their shells clacked roughly against one another, it wasn't a pleasant sound. The shadows were now completely blocking their way once more. The tinted out rotting flesh and burning eyes of the beings slinked forward, ready to attack when- Each of the figures suddenly stopped in their tracks.

"Emmm…. Did someone blow the whistle?" Mikey whispered nervously. Suddenly the ghosts let out a piercing scream! Then whatever had started the hostile change was followed up by a wave of something the brothers couldn't hear or feel, but only see the ripple effect it had on the 'bodies' as they started to tremor uncontrollably. The turtles, lost between confusion and worry, backed up further until their shells were against the wall. Every muscle in their bodies tensed as they cowered, acting entirely on long ingrained instinct that something bad was happening and they didn't want to be in the cross-fire. The screaming coming from the shadows sounded so painful that it even made the brothers wince for their attackers.

"What the hell is happening!?" Raph shouted, having to yell over the ear bleeding noise. Then the beastly tortured groaning transformed into childish sobs, and their black shadow forms shifted…. Little hands and feet appeared from under the black veils, and there rotten features vanished. Mikey gave a little whimper as he watched their terrified little faces appear. They really were just kids. What the hell just happened? The screaming didn't last and soon everything fell silent. The living and dead looked around at one another.

Eventually

"Ummm hello?" Leo said a little nervously while still remaining vigilant. This could be another trap.

"The strings are cut. We're free!" One said in an eerie yet relieved voice.

"He beat him!" Another said.

"Who?" the turtle's exchanged another look.

"He beat the big bad wolf! Tell your brother thank you." The small girl in a red hooded coat smiled. Leo was about to respond to the curious statements, but the question died on his tongue when all the children turned from them and started walking away. Their eerie laughter faded along with their forms before vanishing into nothing, with them the dark and depressing aura lifted like a breath of fresh air.

"Well that wasn't completely random in a super creepy kind of way." Said Mikey trying to once again sooth his hysterical nerves with the return of his sarcastic tongue.

"Oh yeah I am so glad we were all here to witness this, because now we know 'even less' than before!" Raph irritated shoved his sai's back into his belt. "Forget it! Let's go find Donnie!" He snapped but the relief in his voice was poorly covered.

"Let's just hope there is still some bread crumbs left for us to follow." Mikey muttered flipping open and checking the phone's GPS when – a slow and long creaking sound reached their ears. The brothers looked up with a new wave of horrible twisting dread settling in their stomachs. The noise started off quiet, but quickly grew louder, the echoes traveling up the tunnel. As it reached them the floor under the three began to shake.

"EARTHQUAKE!!" Mikey yelled just as a large pipe from above his head was released from its support, it swung down just narrowly avoiding him. He fell back landing unforgivingly on his shell. After blinking in confusion as to why he was in this position he suddenly yelped when he felt his big brothers yanking him up by the arms dragging him backwards and up the tunnel, away from the growing crashing sounds. They barely had a second to scramble to avoid the falling debris and explosion of dust piling up behind them.

Right before it all fell quiet again the brothers had been separated as they dived for cover in the dark. Thankfully the floor under them hadn't given away. In fact the tunnel they were in was still relatively intact.

"Everyone *cough* alright?" *cough* Leo tried to yell but was too busy choking. They could barely see in front of their hands and the tunnel had vanished completely in a cloud of dust.

"Freaking peachy!" *cough* the unmistakable ticked off voice of Raph came from somewhere to Leo's left.

Cough* "What the shell happened?" Mikey was somewhere else.

"I'm really hoping it wasn't what I think happened?" Leo wafted his hand in front of his face trying to clear his vision. That may not have been such a good idea. As the mist cleared, they were faced with a horrifying sight.

"DONNIE!" Raph in his true hot headed fashion charged forward into the wreckage, the other two sprang after him. Upon making it to the four tunnel shafts two of them looked to have completely caved in, as though the floor from under them had gone. There was even a slight breeze coming in from the surface above.

"NO! No no no no!!" Raph screamed jumping forward and started to push aside rocks. You could still get down the tunnel Donnie went through all those years ago, at least part way.

"Raph WAIT!" The panicked red clad brother quickly felt a sharp tug on his shoulder yanking him back. Raph was just about to yell at his big brother when he realised he had just saved him from a large amount of debris landing on his head.

Leo gave both his brothers a fearless look. "You go running in there and the entire street above will come crashing down!!" He yelled.

"But Donnie's under there!!" Mikey squeaked, not able to keep his panicked sobbing at bay. For a moment it felt like the entire world had become frozen. Time had stopped and refused to start again.

"What happened? What the hell happened??" Raph screamed. "I know what you're going to say so don't bother." He yelled at them both. "No! He CAN'T be dead. NO he isn't." Raph choked out the words, ignoring how hard it was to breathe. "If he's dead, we find a body, not before!"

"He's NOT dead!! We'll find him." Mikey said automatically trying to head down the crumbling passage, but his leader stopped him.

"Mikey-" Leo started.

"NO! Don't you say it… DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT!" He screamed. "He's alive. If you won't help me, I'll dig him out myself."

"I wasn't going to say that." Though Leo looked to unconvincingly sad to say anything else. "But Mikey, your phone. It's flashing." Mikey had completely forgotten he was still holding it in his hand. He quickly whipped it open to find that the GPS on their brother's location was still slowly moving. It was much further down the tunnel now. Why or how they didn't know. There was no echoing of rocks being shifted or the ground caving in. The slip passage they wanted must have been blocked up by now… and yet here the signal was again, slowly moving away, making a path for them as though enticing them to follow.

"We have to go in there. We have to find him." Mikey begged.

"For once I'm with Mikey. No matter what happens I am not leaving." It was a rare time to see the second oldest and the youngest agree on anything, but it was also a perfect time. Leo nodded. He wished they had some shovels and rope with them, but they would have to make do.

"Ok here's what we do. Mikey attach your chain to something strong out here. If the ground goes from under us, that will be our only life line. It's going to be hard to breathe down there so use your masks to cover your nose and mouths. We can use our phones as flash lights… Raph?" He looked at him. "Please tell me you have your climbing rope and gravel hook with you? -" Leo was suddenly cut off as he felt something cold just grab on to his left hand, yanking it up and tugging him into the collapsed passage. Almost pulling him over Mikey had to grasp a hold of him for support. "Whoa. Did you feel that?" Leonardo gasped, looking like he had just come too from an unexpected hit over the head.

"What? What was that?" His brother's looked around expecting to see one of the ghost children reappear, but there was none. They had moved on.

"Something grabbed me." Leo looked down the tunnel. "Ok…. I can take a hint. We have to go right now!"

T.V. movies lie.

Well that was stating the obvious. Realism however was pretty damn painful when it came to a situation such as….being buried alive.

Hollywood laws however stated that the hero in a predicament such as this will somehow magically have a limited but adequate air supply in time for the backup to come. In real life however when buried in the sewer with New York City on top of you, the oxygen wasn't so generous.

Then for the moment Donnie stopped worrying about air as his most glaringly obvious problem as another oddity arose with a vicious stab. Pain. Every little bit of him was relentlessly in throbbing pain. It shocked him, kept him from allowing himself to completely wake up. There is a brief moment between being asleep and being awake when you're brain reverts to the familiar and allows you to believe that you're waking up exactly where you usually do. In a nice warm bed at home, with breakfast and morning lessons awaiting you and everything that one had seen being nothing but a bad dream. But the fire pulsing through his body was quick to contradict him. He almost didn't want to open his eyes to have it confirmed.

There was nothing except darkness and a deep cold that crept up his skin and even under his shell. The chill harshly pushed through him all the way to his core. Yet he was choked by the hot dust, as though he was being buried alive even from within. There was no air. The only reason Donnie knew he was still alive was by the throbbing pain in his shoulders as his blood slowly pooled out onto the floor around him, and the crushing of his legs under rubble pinning him down. Even his eyes were being burned to the back of his skull by the suffocating cloud of dust. He would swear that they were being pecked out by birds!

Painfully slow Donnie moved his head to the side, he desperately opened his mouth trying to gulp down some much needed air, but all he got was dust. It filled up his lungs like thick hot tar. Donnie thought he was scared and alone before, but now he really was alone. Even the Piper was dead…. Well at least that was one goal accomplished. The only thing left was, was he going to join him? Donnie was so tired. He just wanted to close his eyes and fall into some internal sleep until the pain floated away….

"All warriors have a death wish, even you." The passed sadistic voice of the Piper rang from somewhere in the back of his head. It automatically made him defiantly move his left arm through the rubble. A sharp serge of pain shot through his shoulder for his efforts, making him gasp. More dust rose up from the floor into his face choking him. The coughing that followed only burned his throat.

No he didn't have a death wish. He stubbornly refused to surrender to the Pipers words even now….but how was he going to get out of here? There was no way….? A short while passed as his brain battled whether or not it was pointless to even try and move and fight for a tiny chance of surviving. Then Donnie was suddenly distracted by a sound. The collapsing of the sewer had stopped by now and the thick silence drowning what was left of the air had been disturbed! The sound of shifting of some small rocks made Donnie open an eye. It was probably just the last of the debris settling.

It was pitch black everywhere, except for the tiny tiny green speck of light in the distance. The lamp by the main entrance and broken ladder was still on?! How had that survived a tunnel collapse?? Well out of all the strange things that had happened to him today, that was the least one to trouble him. And it did bring at least one small comfort. If the entrance was reasonably still standing, the boy had maybe made it and wasn't crushed under any of these rocks with him. He would be trapped because of the broken ladder but he would be alive and that was a chance. Don could only roughly estimate how far he was from the entrance. He tried moving his legs, but the crushing pain told him he was pinned. He wouldn't make it. If his injuries and blood loss didn't kill him, the air that was quickly running out would. His burning breath caught in his painfully dry throat. His heart hammered at a sickening pace within his chest as he realized that he was never going to see his father or his brothers again. He hadn't made things right with them. He hadn't said goodbye. The last of is rehydration fluids leaked from his eyes. Even the tears that escaped and soaked his mask burned him.

"Donatello!" The clear voice made Donnie jump and started choking again.

"B – b-obb-y!" He gasped as he felt a tiny cold hand on the side of his head. "H-ow did -? How d-d-did y-ou -?" He tried to say but his match stick throat wouldn't let him.

"I'm here. It's ok." The boy said quite reassuringly. How could he talk so clearly? How had he just appeared again? Donnie tried to turn his head to look at him, but his vision was blurry and it was too dark. He could just make out half a white face, the other half cast in darkness.

"W-wh-y…. di-d…… yo...u….co-me…b-ba-ck? yo-u…. co-uldn-t… get…back…?" He could only whisper and even that was painful.

"Donnie don't give up. Please! He was wrong about you and me. All of us. You have to hold on!"

"Th-e-re's n –no…a-air." Was all he could say. Donnie closed his eyes again but Bobby just patted his face harder.

"Donnie… Donnie I think I hear voices in the tunnel above! Maybe it's your brothers?" He said excitedly. "You need to call to them. They won't find you if you don't call!"

His brothers! His brothers were here looking for him? The swell of joy in his heart almost pushed out the cold stabbing him, but it was too hard to breathe, let alone scream.

"There in the tunnel that leads here. Donnie you have to call now!!" Bobby kept pushing him. Donnie blinked. Nothing was making sense as his head began to swim. He was dying right here, right now. He had lost too much blood. He was to cold and yet suffocating.

"Donnie please call out to them. Hurry." Bobby plead tapping his face and rocking his shell slightly.

What did he have left to lose…? He had to try, even if it was with his last breath.

"Hel-lo…..." He tried but it was barely more than a whisper. His throat burned…. "I a-m…. DOW-N HERE! *Cough* HELLL…LLLOOO!" He choked but that also seemed to echo. It did start to get hotter. Bobby's cold hand was nice but not enough.

"Hell-lo!? Ca-n you…hear me??" Fading. Everything was fading. "HELP ME!"

"In the story there was one that got away. There's always at least one so they can come back." Bobby whispered."

What?

"Am…..D-dow-n here. HELLO!" Lights. In the distance were little lights next to the green, only they were moving towards him. Voices? Was it just oxygen starvation making him see this? Rocks moving…. going...but Donnie wasn't aware of anything anymore. He couldn't even feel Bobby's hand on his face anymore as the last of his air left his lungs, not to return?

 **To be continued...**

 **End notes:**

 **Okay I hope I can update the new chapter on next week. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere ;)**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story**

 **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story**

 **Bye bye for now**

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**


	17. Chapter 16

**Author notes:**

 **Hi guys! I'm back with new chapter! Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. Thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Sixteen:

Rescue

All those incredibly important questions that should have been bothering the turtles, such as the appearance of weird shadow demons who then transformed into the lost spirits of children….Unknown voices on the phone…. The GPS…. Sewer tunnels just collapsing…. Running out of air. Clearly they were stuck in some very BIG loop of crazy here, but it was hard to worry about any of that when at the centre of it all was your brother.

"I – I think it's still going down this way." Mikey said referring to the dot on his phone screen. He was struggling to watch where he was walking while holding onto the chain. Although at this point struggling was an understatement. Mikey had to walk straight all while trying to multi-task his phone as a flashlight and a guide to track down that little dot on his screen. The rope that was tied around his waist connecting him to his two other brothers was not helping much either. The shortest turtle tripped over every other hidden piece of broken cement. It was only luck that hadn't sent him sprawling yet.

The silhouettes of his brothers were just ahead of him, calling out Donnie's name. Leo held the very front of Mikey's chain as he led the way. At first he tried to shift away all of the debris blocking them, but soon gave up and settled for climbing over the giant broken rocks and pipes. Raph followed close behind. He didn't seem to be having as much trouble with his footing as Mikey.

The crumbling passage was very eerie, and being showered in debris made it difficult for the guys to see or breathe. The floor and the roof above them creaked threateningly with every fifth cautious step, and eventually they ran out of chain. Leo looked around searching for something that still looked fairly secure, like a sewer pipe.

It was part of the safety system Leo had insisted on. Donnie had redesigned the hook on each end of the chain to have a release switch, just like his bo. So Mikey would secure the piece of chain he had onto something sturdy near him, then he would wait until Leo had walked as far as the chain would let him before securing his end. Then Mikey would undo his end and work his way towards Leo and so on and so forth. The whole process made the rescue mission go very slowly. Which irritated the brothers to no end, but if the floor was to go out from under them, what choice did they have?

"This is taking too… *cough* freaking long!" Raph choked as time phased in and out. Being stuck in the middle of two brothers who at least had a chain to focus on was making him disorientated with nerves. The slowly growing panic made everything harder to comprehend, and his worry for his brother grew.

"Which way Mikey? *Cough* has the signal gone into any of the slip *cough* passages yet?" Questioned Leo, the three of them had already passed about a dozen of these slip passages. Unless the phone showed something new, there was no telling which one Donnie could be down. Leo, struggling to see, could only keep shuffling his feet forward as slow as…. well a turtle.

"Dude I can barely see passed my *cough* nose here." Came Mikey's muffled moaning voice from under his mask where it was covering his mouth. His eyes burned with the dust falling on his face. The temperature had started to rise as the air grew thinner. If Donnie was down here, he really was in trouble.

"What happened?" thought Leo silently, choosing to ignore Mikey's avoidance of his question. "These tunnels had been old sure, but they had held for years. What had made the tunnels just go like that?" He didn't even want to think about what could be happening on the surface. If the sewer had collapsed, maybe the street above had too….? Which meant people would soon be flooding down here, if they weren't already.

With that thought in mind Leo was hit with a new wave of anxiety. "Focus Mikey, where's the signal?" *cough*

A sudden move yanked Leo back by the rope, causing more stones to lightly shower him. It was Raph, he had stopped moving. He was staring past Leo at something behind his bros head. "A breeze! Just ahead a bit, on the right." Raph said excitedly.

"I feel it too." Leo added moving his mouth automatically towards the slightly cleaner air. "Mikey the signal??"

"YES! Finally. Next right. It's there! Donnie we're coming!"

Suddenly all caution was tossed into the wind as Leo rounded into the barely breezy side tunnel. But he had to stop almost immediately and start digging his way through the half broken wall to make the destroyed opening bigger. Raph tried to use his brute force to actually smash his way through. It didn't work.

The stone cut into their hands and their green skin disappeared under a layer of black dirt, but they didn't care.

"DONNIE!!" They all yelled as they pushed and climbed through the narrow passage, dragging the chain with them... Well it was now more of a narrow triangle shaped tunnel. The walls had lost the stability of the floor and now only remained upright by leaning in against each other to a point. It was fate that it hadn't just collapsed in on itself.

Even after crawling through their turtle-made hole the three could only continue on through the ruined tunnel with a sideways shuffle. They slid along diagonally, having to practically side hop up and over piles of debris. The guys were aware that they were slowly climbing up. But it didn't prepare them for the floor dramatically dipping down like a slide. Leo was the first to go. The only warning Raph got from his leader was the sound of a sudden gasp before the the rope around his waist violently yanked him forward. He lost his hold on the now useless chain he was dragging around. He slid down the sharp rubble, knowing that at this rate he was going to meet the ground head on. Mikey yelled digging his feet into the floor, trying to hold onto the chain as the weight of his brothers pulled around his waist. Pressure increased as the sliding abruptly stopped.

"GRAB THE CHAIN! GRAB THE FREAKING CHAIN DUDES!" The orange turtle yells echoed in the narrow pit.

Raph twisted himself around, yanked out his sai's, and with all his might stabbed them into the floor so he could pull himself and Leo up a bit and relieve some of Mikey's pressure. With a growl he managed to find some balance again on his knees. With this new leverage he snatched back the supposedly useless chain. It dangled innocently against the slope, but didn't slide down it, which hopefully meant that mister master of chain Mikey up there was smart enough to wrap his end of the thing onto something solid.

After a few experimental tugs Raph released his weight from his Sais, allowing himself to dangle from just the chain.

"LEO!" He yelled. The dark was blinding him from seeing his big brother, but he knew he was still there by the weight pulling on his shell.

"I'm here!" Leo's dry voice met him through the falling dust and another dangerously loud creak above their heads. Sooner or later this place was coming down. "Guy's I'm almost to the bottom. The slope isn't much longer. I'm going to untie myself from the rope, don't panic Raph."

"Just hurry, I'll be down there in a second." Raph grunted as he started making his way down the slope, like a mountain climber with a rope. Raph felt the rope around his shell slacken as Leo separated himself from them.

"…..Uh guys, I'm on the edge of a large hole down here. I can't see the bottom with just my phone light. But I can see that half the ladder leading into this thing is gone." Leo's voice grew raspier as he spoke. The dust was getting worse.

"You think he's down there?" Raph called.

"The signal says he is! It's still moving!" Mikey's strained echo joined in.

"Alright, Mikey make sure the chain is secure at your end. We are going to need it to help us climb out of here. Then slowly make your way down. We'll head into the tunnel. Raph you stay up here. We are going to need you to pull us up later." The leader instructed. A painful grunt told Leo that his brothers agreed.

Mikey and Raph had barely made it onto decently flat ground before Leo was already making his way down the strange tunnel. Mikey rushed over to follow, untying the rope around his waist as he ran.

The tunnel wasn't that hard to slide down with their perfectly good rope, and beefy brother keeping the thing stable above. The two slide down fireman style with ease, the wrappings on their hands and feet preventing rug burns as they went. As soon as Leo and his youngest brother's feet hit the ground they instantly knew they were in the right place. The blue clad turtle looked back up at the broken ladder. It was at least 10 feet. How had someone gotten back down here without making a sound…. or breaking a leg for that matter?? The one spooky green light illuminating the cold swirling dust clouds in the darkness looked almost as creepy as the ghost children… And the smell alone was enough to knock them on their shells… But it was the caged door hanging off its hinges from the collapse that made them gasp. Donnie had talked about this very door. He was here, somewhere. The signal had led them to the right place, but now it was no longer transmitting. The phone itself seemed fine, but the GPS had gone dead the moment they climbed into the pit. Mikey and Leo started walking towards the green light and through the broken metal door. Just beyond the green light they could make out a pile of debris holding up what was left of a labyrinth of cells. It wasn't caved in enough to block out the scene completely, but enough so that they knew they couldn't get through. Again the floor looked like it sloped downward a little. To think Donnie could be in here made their stomachs clench.

"See anything?" Raph shouted from above.

"Don! Donnie?" Mikey whimpered letting go of the rope and running to try and push a giant mass of wood aside.

"Take it slowly Mikey, the tunnel is going to come down!" Leo warned as he struggled to breathe. There was no air down here.

"But I heard something?" Mikey then 'shushhhhed' him. "Listen." There was a sound, a faint echo of… Siren's coming from far above. Somewhere through the layers of broken concrete, stone, and rotten wood the people on the surface were starting to notice the bloody great big hole growing in the middle of their street. They didn't have long.

"I said is there anything!?" Raph demanded impatiently. "It's not looking very promising up here guys. Shake those tails will ya'."

"It's blocked. Hold on." Leo replied. He tried adjusting one of the wood beams so that it may hold some of the rubble up but he was getting weaker, and the wood wasn't getting any lighter.

"Whoa! There it is again." Leo exclaimed suddenly shaking his head. "A cold spot just pushed passed me." He said as a shiver ran down his shell. Something was here. But they didn't get much time to wonder about that when -

"Hell-lo!? Ca-n you…hear me? HELP ME!" The very faded voice of their brother reached their ears.

"Donnie!!" His brothers yelled together shining there lights through the hole they had manage to make so far.

"I'm…..D-dow-n here. HELLO!" Don's voice tore through the stiff silence, sending his brothers barrelling through the debris like wound up toys. But this resulted in a loud shake from the tunnel above them. What was left was coming down!

"DONNIE?!" They yelled in panic as they begin wading their way towards the debris pile they had just heard yell for help. That was when things then moved onto the Museum of Medical Horrors Stage.

They had found him! They had found there brother all alone a good few feet away from the hole. He wasn't moving but just laid face down in the dirt. Leo quickly bent down, not noticing whatever slippery liquid he was standing in and grabbed his brother's neck checking for a pulse. There was one, but it was faint. Very faint. Mikey was at his other side feeling along Donnie's shell for any obvious injuries, but he could only do it by feeling alone as it was too dark to see.

"Leo – h-his… legs a-are tra…trapped! I can't s-see how m-much but-"*cough* Mikey said, trying to talk through the lack of air and tar thick dust. But Leo didn't answer. He felt himself drop a few shades of green as his hand ran up his brother's arm, following the trail of warm liquid to the back of Donnie's shoulder. Leo prayed that there wasn't a… a wound! His beating heart sank in despair as his fingers were met with hot wet stickiness that seemed to be gushing out and soaking his feet. Leo managed to swallow down enough of his fear to hold up his light-up phone, revealing that he was kneeling in a lot of crimson. But worse still was the clear open gash right above the upper side of Donnie's shell…. The gash was a hole, and it went all the way through…. Donnie had been stabbed! Hacked open is maybe a better description. Who had done this to him? Where was the man?

"Donnie!" Mikey's gasp shook the leader enough to eventually make him look up. The slip of light from his phone revealed that his baby brother was actually looking at Donnie's other shoulder were, to his horror, an identical wound was pumping the life from their brother's body. Don's blood was mixing deep into the dirt. No! This couldn't be happening.

"Oh my God!" Mikey sobbed. His panic overwhelmed him as his mind furiously worked to think of a way to help his brother. They had to stop the bleeding. Mikey whipped off his mask and pressed it against one wound, Leo mirrored him with his own mask on the other side, but the blood was still pouring out onto the floor from the front of the wound. After only a couple seconds both masks were soaked. Leo cursed loudly and with such desperation that it made Mikey flinch.

"We can't see enough. If we try and move him, we might make it worse. We need Raph's help." Leo quickly got up. "I'll be right back. Press over the wounds and keep talking to him." Mikey was just about to shake his head but a small shower of debris raining on top of him made him pause. Leo simply started running through the falling dust back towards the exit.

"Donnie please hold on." Mikey begged. "Please don't leave us here like this." He sobbed while tightly wrapping up both his brothers shoulders with the blood soaked masks. After some quick twisting and pulling he added his elbow pads, knee pads, hand wraps, and feet wraps to his makeshift bandaging. He bunched the soft material of the wrapping up and pushed them inside both ends of the wound. The pads were tied to each end to keep the material in place, and to hopefully prevent further damage when they hopefully start to move Donnie. Mikey tried to assess the damage of the wound as he put this bandage together, but he had no idea what he was looking at. The blood seemed to pump out in pulses, and the edges of the circular hole seemed red and irritated. But overall the hole was too circular and not nearly big enough to indicate a knife attack. What in the world had stabbed his brother? And does that effect how he should help him?

Mikey finished tying off the last of the padding before adding his own weight against the wounds. He couldn't tell if the wound had stopped bleeding, but if the pressure was big enough and the bandages tight enough, the blood flow might just slow down. "Th-hanks Donnie for the First aid classes." Mikey said aloud. There was no response. And as his brother's flesh grew colder, so did Mikey's fear. He could hear Leo shouting to their middle brother for help. Leo would have to wait for Raph to find something to tie the rope onto so they could host themselves back up, but Donnie was fading and it was just too dark to see what they were doing.

Mikey panicked. "We…..Please we need help here! Pleassssseeee!" He yelled frantically into the dark. He wasn't just calling to his brothers, but to who… whatever had brought them down here. Surely he… it…whatever it was who had indirectly helped them find Donnie, they…them….those things… would help them to get out too?

Mikey called out again, not at all caring about how silly he sounded. After what he had seen today, he was willing to go on a little faith. But whether friend or foe, Mikey was sure something was listening to him as he found himself suddenly having to blink. The same green light back behind him from the main door grew stronger. It grew so strong that Mikey had to look away from it and back towards Don as his outline and features became that much clearer in the dim light. A power surge maybe…. Which meant that green lamp was probably about to blow up and leave them in pitch black. Mikey had seen it happen enough times to know the drill…. But it didn't happen. The light remained and somehow cast just enough light so Mikey could see Donnie's bo-staff beside him, and his T-phone…… Wait Donnie's T-phone… how did….?

"Donnie please wake up!" Mikey brushed the dirt away from his brother's face and stroked his cheek. The orange turtle couldn't repress his tears. "I'm so sorry we left you down here. Please forgive us bro. Forgive us for everything please." His shoulders shook with the force of his sobs. All he got for a response was another crash from above. The pile of dusty debris was getting bigger. If they didn't move soon, they would be buried too. Mikey choked back his grief and with fearful determination to protect his brother he leaned over Donnie's head, using his shell too deflect the falling rocks. He winced as a particularly big one bounce off of him. Mikey was sure his shell was going to crack.

The smell of waste around him drifted up and assaulted his nostrils. But there was more than sewer waste down here Mikey was sure. Moments later the heavy footsteps of his two big brothers were dashing down to meet him.

"Oh Donnie no." Raph despaired at the sight of his missing brother. All the blood looked brown in the green light, but there was still no mistaking what it was. Now they could see that it was half of a cement wall crushing Donnie's legs and shell, the brothers leaped into action. Leo used Donnie's staff to push and prop the cement wall up enough to pull Donnie free. It might not have worked if the wall wasn't already unbalanced and starting to tip backwards. The thing was like the worlds ricketiest titter-totter. At least three pointy rocks held the cemented slab up from the ground. While Leo lifted the wall Raph had to use all of his strength just to balance the thing and keep it from falling back down onto one side or the other of Donnie.

Mikey reached his bloodstained hands around his brother's belt while supporting his head. It was difficult for him to try and pull Donnie out by just his shell, but he didn't want to damage Donnie's shoulders any more than they already were. At the movement Donnie moan and whatever colour he had in his face left. Mikey mumbled an apology and continued to gently pull Donnie out, ignoring the overworked grunts from his older siblings. Then Donnie got stuck.

"No, no, no." Mikey panicked. He tugged harder on his brother's belt. But one of Donnie's legs simply stretched and didn't move closer. Mikey bent down on all fours and peered under the slab. One of Donnie's feet was trapped under a bent portion of the wall. The foot was squished in on itself. To the point where the outside two toes were bent forward and in front of his middle one. The skin of the foot looked pinched between the wall and the floor, like when you squish a babies cheeks.

No foot bends that way. Mikey knew something had to be broken. And they caused it by lifting this wall.

"M-mmi-ikey?" gasped Raph who was having to use the most muscle to keep the slab up.

"His foot is stuck! You guys are lifting to high, bring it back down a little!" yelled Mikey.

"M-mikey, I don't know if we can." Leo admitted shamefully. But the two turtles tried to do it anyways. Raph bent his knees and lowered his waist while Leo tried to keep the bo staff at an even odder angle. It wasn't working well, and the debris was falling faster. Eyes wide and desperate Mikey grabbed ahold of Donnie by both armpits, and as soon as Raph and Leo had the wall lowered even a little bit Mikey dug in his heels and yanked. Donnie's eyes flew open, mouth open in silent pain. He felt his ankle pop and give way as Mikey forced his foot out from whatever it was trapped in. His shoulders were on fire, and Mikey had just forced them to stretch.

…..Wait Mikey? …..Mikey!

As soon as he was clear from the wall Leo and Raph dropped their burden. The wall fell back into place with a grinding *thunk*. Raph wasted no time in turning Donnie over and sweeping him up into a bridle style lift as steady and quickly as he could. This place was crumbling around their ears.

"Bobby!" The name was no more than a screamed whisper from the downed turtle, a whisper that the brothers didn't even hear over the crashing of the tunnel around them. They just made it out before the rest of the street came down on top of them. But they weren't out of the woods just yet. They didn't realise until they were out of the mystery hole how constricted their brother's airways were, and his blood was leaving behind a nice trail. And they hadn't at all realised that they could be leaving somebody behind.

 **To be continued...**

 **End notes: WHAT A CLIFFHANGER...!**

 **Okay I hope I can update the new chapter on next week. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere ;)**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story**

 **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story**.

 **Bye bye for now**...

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**


	18. Chapter 17

**Author notes:**

 **Hi guys! Sorry I'm late. I was busy yesterday. But don't worry, I'm back now with my brand new chapter! Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter Seventeen

Make Things Right.

By now it was very late at night and Splinter was sitting calmly on the floor of the Dojo, but in his mind he was still frantically worrying. Should he go out after his sons or should he remain? At one point he could sense that the danger had grown so great that he could actually feel his hands shaking. Where were HIS SONS!? Had the same dark force that was lingering around Donatello now taken all of his sons? Trying to regain his concentration the rat took a deep breath, forcing all his energy into sensing the location of that terrible darkness.

Just as his fears were about to get the better of him a commotion coming from the entrance told him that his boys were home… But the joy was short lived as the sound of rushing feet and gasping breaths told him they were only rushing because something was very wrong, and there were no prizes for guessing what it was . Thinking he was prepared for whatever shocking display awaited him outside the dojo doors, the rat surprised even himself when he froze in shock after his eyes fell upon the state of all his children. Two of them were without masks, and all four of them were covered head to toe in black dirt. So much so that they left a trail of the dark grime as they came in. But that wasn't what made the father gasp in horror. It was the amount of blood mixed in with the dirt on their plastrons.

A quick glance over each of their bodies told him that the blood wasn't any of his still standing sons. They didn't have any injuries that could cause that much blood loss. All of it was coming from Donatello, who lay twitching in his two older brother's arms. The makeshift bandages that covered both of Donatello's shoulders were perhaps once made well enough to slow most of the blood flow. But in the boys haste to get home the pads keeping the bandaging together had been jostled aside, and the bloody ribbons of the wrappings that were once stuffed inside the wound, now hung down heavy in bloody dripping ringlets.

Splinter meant to immediately run and provide assistance, but something else caught his attention, something just by the door…. The rat's nose twitched in suspicion.

Michelangelo turned towards Donatello as he was being held in Raphael's arms and immediately started trying to rearrange his brothers ruined bandaging. Splinter now knew it was Michelangelo's work from the absence of any sort of wrapping on his smallest son's hands or feet. Unfortunately, even with Raphael bending slightly at the knees, Michelangelo was still finding it difficult to work from the angle his brother was being carried in.

Desperately he looked up to his father. "Dad!" the tiniest pleading whimper escaped Michelangelo, snapping Splinter out of his shocked trance. In seconds he was across the room, lifting the bloody turtle up from Raphael's exhausted arms. Completely oblivious to the crimson stains soaking through his robes he cradled his son to him before quickly sweeping Donatello away into the labs infirmary.

The brothers, literally on Splinter's tail, frantically grabbed supplies as they followed. They grabbed clean rags, antiseptic, and something Splinter could use to stitch the holes up with. Mikey came over, gently lifting up Donnie's left shoulder to press one cloth to the back of the wound and another to the front while Splinter examined the right shoulder. 'Punctures made by a thick narrow blade?' thought Splinter looking a little puzzled, 'Wait no, not even a blade. What did this? And how had it been so cleanly pushed all the way through?'

"What happened?" Splinter asked them, but he was only met with three looks that were somewhere between confusion and desperation, finished off with something that told the rat that they had seen something truly horrific tonight. For it to render even Michelangelo speechless, it must have been bad. The cold chill that has been a constant presence on his neck since his boys got home now tingled all the way down to the tip of his tail. His other son's seem too frantic to notice it as of yet. And perhaps his boys had the right idea. The time for questions, explanations, and reflection would have to wait till later. Presently Splinter didn't even know what other injuries his son had, but his first concern right now was the blood loss.

The rat frowned at the two most obvious injuries that afflicted his son. Pressing his two fingers to the side of his neck Splinter checked the teen's pulse. Donnie's heart was beating in a fast rhythm. Although a fast rhythm was better than no rhythm at all, this didn't give Splinter much relief. The heart was pumping the blood around the body so fast, spilling it out straight onto the floor. Splinter moved on quickly to check Donatello's other vitals as his hand rested on his child's green head. A fever was clearly present. In fact his entire body was hot and clammy to the touch, and his breathing was strangled from the congestion in his chest. Judging from the amount of filth his brothers and him had trailed in, it was obvious that they had had to dig their way out….. Out of something.

"How bad is it?" Leo asked coming up behind his master with the antiseptic, but Splinter didn't answer. He knew the arteries and the nerves in the shoulders had been severely damaged, but there would be no telling how bad the muscles were until the rat had cleaned the wounds enough to see. All the while Donnie's face was drained of colour and twisted in pain. Occasionally his eyes flickered open, but they weren't at all focused. Splinter was sure Donnie wasn't even aware of them. He twisted and turned as though he was trying to weakly fight off some terrifying monster. The look of fear in his eyes almost broke their hearts. What had been done to him? What had he seen? The more Donatello moved, the more blood soaked the medical cot and increased the damage. There wasn't a choice.

With a heavy sigh Splinter begrudgingly pushed on the pressure points behind his son's ear slits, forcing his body to become limp. After he became still Splinter and his other son's proceeded in removing Donnie's bloody clothing, and the temporary bandages. Everyone worked wordlessly as they removed the dingy gear and piled it to the side, wordless because truly nobody knew what to say. What could any of them say about what they had seen tonight? The only emotion the brothers had more than confusion was pure and blatant fury. The brothers wished they could have at least gotten the chance to meet this 'person' responsible. And the bigger question, where was he now?

Once Donatello's body was clear of any remaining dirty infectious pieces of gear their father asked them to leave, wash up, and dispose of all the blood drenched remnants of their 'clothing'. Large amounts of blood had a tendency of ruining even the best of fabrics. With just a bow the turtles collected the gear and turned to leave the infirmary, with a silent plea that Donnie was going to be alright.

After his sons had left the father rested his hand against the side of Donatello's face, caressing his fingers along his eye ridge. His heart broke at the sight of his son's injuries, injuries that ran so much deeper than just flesh wounds. He could only hope his son's would get a second chance to reconcile.

"Thank you for helping him." The father finally said, addressing what he had seen hovering around the lair door. And what had not left Donatello's side since he entered his home.

 **To be continued...**

 **End notes:**

 **Okay I hope I can update the new chapter on next week. So please stay on with me and don't go anywhere ;)**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story**.

 **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story**.

 **Bye bye for now**...

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**


	19. Chapter 18

**Author notes:** **Hi guys! The brand new chapter is here! Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter eighteen

Aftermath

Four hours later.*

All the now clean ninjas sat dozing by the TV when the sound of the lab doors moving had them jumping to their feet. The three of them rushed over to Splinter, hoping that their father was finally ready to speak in a way that wasn't cryptic, but simply straightforward and truthful. Donnie had to be alright. He just had to be.

By this time it was almost 3 in the morning. Splinter held a tired expression, and red ran down the front of his robes. But the blood had now dried and was harmlessly staining the gown a horrible brownish colour, but at least this showed that at some point Splinter had managed to stop the bleeding.

"Leonardo." The sensei said in a weary voice. "Your brother will need cleaning if we are to minimise the risk of infection. Please go and get a bowl of warm soapy water and some clean cloths. Michelangelo if you would retrieve two large towels from the bathroom. Then go to the dojo to set up another clean cot." He then turned to his red clad son. "Raphael, if you would kindly assist me in taking your brother to the Dojo. His breathing is depressed and he is most seriously dehydrated. He will need to be monitored until his airways are clear."

"Does that mean that Donnie is going to be ok sensei?" Raph asked eagerly.

Splinter nodded but only slowly with another sigh. "He has lost a lot of blood. I was concerned about shock. So far he appears to be alright but…."

Why did there always have to be a ' but'? "There may be nerve damage to his arms. It is unclear how much until he wakes up. I am hopeful, but we shall have to wait and see. His right ankle is broken, as well as possibly some bones in the foot itself. What most concerns me at this moment is the head trauma….. However while I was checking his head something very curious happened…." Splinter looked somewhat confused as he said this last part.

"What is it Sensei?" Leo asked with concern.

"The other injuries Donatello had before he left the lair, the ones that simply appeared this morning, such as the black eye and the cuts. They have gone." He shook his head as if he was at a loss.

"What do you mean gone? They only appeared this morning." Leo asked, narrowing his eyes in only slight disbelief.

"The injuries faded as I cleaned them. It was a… interesting sight to see. The other bruises down his arms and neck are also gone…. Whatever strange force had inflicted these traumas upon your brother appears to have released him from it…. If I had to guess why, I think it is because those wounds did not belong to your brother in the first place. It was a message. A message that has now been delivered." Splinter finished this hypothesis looking even more contemplative than before, which only confused the brothers further.

Although this didn't seem to be making any sense the boys didn't even try to understand it. There was so much about this they didn't understand, what was one more thing to the list? Only Donnie had these answers. But they already had enough bridges to mend with their brother, and they had a suspicion that bothering Donnie with probably very unwanted questions wouldn't get them very far fast.

"Can we stay with him in the dojo tonight sensei?" Mikey asked in a small voice. Splinters automatic reaction was to say no, but the pleading look on all their faces made it almost impossible for him to turn the idea down. But Mikey's disgustingly perfect puppy eyes weren't the only reason the father gave in to the request. Splinter had a strange feeling that even if Donatello is able to pull through with only minimum damage, this story wasn't over yet. Something was waiting at the end of this road and his smartest son would need his brothers there to place the final piece of this puzzle.

For the rest of the night and the following day the brothers and father rotated around the smart turtle, dabbing his skin with water and trickling it down his bone dry throat. But strangely Donnie did look slightly better. The rat master had been correct. Though Donnie had accumulated a lot of flesh wounds from the cave in, the mysterious injuries he had had before he ran off had, in fact, disappeared! That was a good thing, as the poor mutant had plenty of other wounds to contend with. The ankle had swollen and both his shoulders were bandaged up down to his elbows. Movement for Donnie was going to be restricted.

Earlier that evening Leo entered the TV room to find his youngest brother, Michelangelo, sitting outside the dojo doors. The look on his face suggested that he had been crying. "Hey Mikey you ok?" The leader said quickly, coming to sit down alongside Mikey.

Mikey just shook his head which instantly had Leo looking at the dojo. "Is Donnie ok?" A sudden twinge of panic.

"No change. Raph is sitting with him now." The young orange clad turtle looked away, his expression screamed ashamed.

"What is it Mikey?" Leo asked patting his shoulder.

"I was just thinking, even if he wakes up and he's ok... what if he doesn't forgive us? I mean reeeeally forgive us? I know D, he will just blow it off. It's not like he has much of a choice. But... deep down, he just holds onto stuff, lets it fester." Leo couldn't help but nod in response. Though that probably wasn't what his brother wanted, but they both knew Donnie to well.

"Well we are just going to have to deal with it, even if he won't... We will just keep pushing and prove to him that we have changed. That everything has changed. We'll keep pushing until he really does forgive us. It's all we can do." Leo reassured his sad brother. "Though we really don't deserve it." Leo stopped himself just in time from slapping a hand up to his big mouth. Damn! He hadn't meant to say that last bit out loud.

"I don't think I could cope if Donnie hated me." Mikey sniffed shooing more tears away. "I don't think I can even look at him if he looks at me like he did before he left the lair... I know Raph couldn't either. He didn't say it, but when he switched with me to watch D I could tell that he was thinking about the same thing. About that dum-dum-DUM mistake we made!" Leo wrapped his arm around his brother.

"It's going to be ok M-" Leo was suddenly cut off by a small whimper coming from the Dojo. The two looked around. Could it be?

From the depths of a cold twisted gory nightmare that had been consuming his brain, something had finally broken the cycle. Dark circled eyes twitched at the hand brushing against his face. A blurry green and red image swimming above him was the first real thing Donnie had seen in a long time. A welcome relief from the constant stare of glowing eyes and the drip of mud brown water off a yellow coat.

"Donnie?" His hot-headed brother was kneeling beside his battered form. The only reply Raph got was a small coo. "Hey buddy." Raph said, trying again to coax his barley conscious brother into reality with the nicest and least threatening tone he had. He had been practising the tone all day, and much to Raph's relief the gooey tone was much easier to pull off in practice, with his little brother right here in front of him, than in a mirror talking to himself.

Gently lifting his brother's head from the pillow Raph brought a small cup of water to Donnie's lips. Donnie chocked it down as though it was the most wonderful thing he had ever had in his young life. "Whoa there bro we have more. Take it easy." Raph tried to smile as he said this, but the moment Donnie finally opened his now focused eyes to meet him, they both froze. Donnie's face slapped through so many emotions so fast that Raph barely caught any of them. "Donnie I…." He trailed off looking at the water as though he could find the meaning to life at the bottom of the glass.

"R- Raph?" Donnie looked around confused. "You … you found me?! I'm home?" Oblivious to his siblings self-created plight Donnie lashed his head all about as he took in his surroundings. He was home, and genuinely surprised to be here…. to be alive. Donnie's musing was cut off by the burning in his throat. Had he tried eating his way out of the cave in?

"Yeah." Raph rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… couldn't really deal with it if we messed up twice in the same way and even in the same situation." He said in the same friendly but uncomfortable voice he had tapped together. Donnie was just about to try and speak again but Raph stopped him. He had to do this before he lost his nerve. It was going against the grain, but he owed his brother this much at least. In fact he should have done this 10 years ago. But this time would be different. This time he was ready. After all, he practised this in the mirror too.

"Bro I know we were really crappy to you… and…. we never made it right and…you mean everything to us. You have to know that! And if you forgive me, us… I will NEVER take you for granted or tease you ever again and-"

"Raph don't. You don't have to say anything. It's... ok. It was a long time ago and it's all over now." Don interrupted in a dry raspy voice. He just wanted to stop talking…. maybe forever, it was too painful. And he didn't exactly appreciate being reminded of his previous sadness right when he woke up from……. THAT!

The red clad turtle looked up at him. He could almost see his brother's hurt feelings being violently shoved back behind that wall he liked to hide behind, because he didn't want to be a bother to anyone. In fact Raph betted his, much-more-badass-than-blue, red mask that the next words out of Donnie's mouth would be him apologising for storming out and putting them in danger. Once again Raph and his brothers would be given a free pass. No! Not this time. They were going to deal with this once and for all… but this meant Raph doing something very un-characteristic. Firstly he would hold back his frustration. Secondly…. he thought about what Leo would do….? He was a turtle of action not words. If his brother wouldn't let him say it, then he would just have to show it.

"Donnie I'm sorry. For real. We are all sorry and…. I ask you to forgive us."

"Raph I don't want to deal with this right -"

"And to prove it..." Raph then did something he had never in his life done before. Already kneeling Raphael moved back a little and bowed his forehead forward almost touching the ground at his brother's side. His hands resting flat at either side of his face. Donnie blinked in surprise. This was something their Sensei had taught them to do as children, only when sincerely asking for forgiveness. The eyes were to remain focussed on the floor and to wait until their sign of submission would be accepted or rejected. For a moment Donatello really was quite taken aback. In his life the red clad turtle had never asked for forgiveness like this before. (Leo all the time!) But Raph?? Heck they were lucky to get a begrudging verbal sorry spat out of him along with an arm punch, and that was on the rarest of rare occasions. Was this really his hothead brother sitting here, or had Leo stolen his mask?

At the demonstration Donnie felt his eyes sting and his heart swell in his chest until it hurt, and it wasn't from the injuries. He really was sorry. Unable to hold back Donnie sat up and tried to wrap his arms around Raph's neck. One of the signs that the one bowed was forgiven and could now stand. Instantly this proved a bad idea when his shoulders responded with a feeling equivalent to a hot iron being jammed into his skin, accompanied by sharp stabs running up his leg. Shell! He was in a sorry state. he thought.

Hearing Donnie gasping in pain Raph sat up and quickly reached around his brother, supporting his weight against him. After the stabbing in his arms ceased Donnie looked up into his face and they both smiled. The first true smiles since this whole thing had started.

Gasping Donnie choked out between chuckles "Upon this rare honour... How can I say no to that? I guess I better forgive you." Donnie rested his head on his brother's shoulder, nuzzling under his chin, and Raph couldn't repress a smile as he focussed on the warm breathing tickling his neck. For a moment they both remained still, enjoying a closeness they had not shared in years, and thought they would never again. Sadly it wasn't to last.

A bellowed "Busted!" rang out by the door. Raph groaned. "Dha-aang, Raph actually begging!? And here's me without my video camera." Mikey said elbowing Leo Like the blue masked turtle was in on the joke the whole time. The two turtles stood just inside the room along with Splinter, who seemed to be keeping a respectful distance away, at least for the moment. "That was definitely a true Kodak moment bro." Mikey smiled overjoyed, before diving forward, knocking Raph aside in his graceless leap. Mikey wrapped his arms around Donnie's neck, but a gasp from the injured turtle made him jump back as though he had broken him. And at this point maybe he had.

"Sorry bro. So sorry…really really sorry for everything." The younger teared up. But Donnie only smiled shaking his head as he eased back into the pillows underneath him. It felt comfortable to lie down, and was an admittedly much more safe distance away from his little brother.

"I heard you the first time." Donnie whispered just loud enough for Mikey to hear. Mikey smiled, knowing that Donnie was talking about when they had still been in the cave in.

Leo had the widest smile on his face, so large he almost bared teeth. But the display of joy faded upon his younger brother locking eyes with him. Was Donnie just brushing it off like he always did, or did he really forgive them? The welcoming smile said that he did.

"Donnie-" He started to say -

"Leo just get over here please. I don't have the energy to do this one at a time." Donnie said in a growing ever raspier voice, it was still a struggle to speak from the hot sand still burning in his throat. But that was all that was needed. Being careful of his injuries it took 10 seconds max for the four brothers to interlock, the three of them sandwiched their genius between them. Leo had wrapped his arms around all of them while resting his forehead against the front of Donnie's. Over their shoulders Donnie noticed Splinter smiling at them. Everything wasn't just magically erased between them all, but they had made the first step, and the loving exchange between them was enough for now.

"You gave us the freaking fright of our lives bro. Like really! This was like a whole new level of freakiness. Ghost children and everything! What was all that?" Mikey asked as he was busying himself nuzzling into Donnie's cheek.

…..They all felt it when Donnie's body went stiff.

How could he have forgotten?!

"BOBBY! Bobby James. Did you take him home? Is he alright??" He suddenly sat up breaking the hug so fast that it made him wince. The brothers looked stunned at him. What was he talking about? "Is he alright? Guys? Did Bobby get home??"

 **To be continued...**

 **End notes:** **Okay I hope I can update the new chapter on next week.**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story**

 **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story**

 **Bye bye for now**

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**


	20. Chapter 19

**Author notes:**

 **Hi guys! Man, I was so busy until I'm late for posting new chapter. But don't worry, now I'm updating the story. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter nineteen.

End of the Road

"Donnie... Where are you going-? No Donnie you need to rest... You're to... weak ..." Leo said while Mikey, Raph, and he were all trying to stop their genius from frantically dragging himself across the room. It was quite a pathetic attempt, but for someone who had received almost fatal injuries just a day ago, Donnie was sure putting up a good fight.

"No. No guys you don't understand. He saved me! He came back for me when the Piper was just about to kill me. He led me out of the maze when I was lost. He kept me alive when the air was running out after the tunnels caved in!" Despite the dry burning in his throat Donnie continued to frantically explain what sounded like the perfect horror story to his family. Donnie gasped, yelled, and ranted about cages and dead children. About the other bodies in the tunnels that would have been him if not for Bobby.

The brothers winced as they listened to the ever worsening details. Mikey simply closed his eyes and dug his heels in further, trying to block out what Donnie was admitting. While Leo and Raph kept sending each other understanding looks between bouts of holding Donnie's flailing hips and chest. If what Donnie was saying was true then there had to be more than just the 9 reported children missing over the last 10 years. The stench was enough for them to believe every sick word coming out of Donnie's mouth.

But everything he explained or said, in some way, led back to Bobby. The boy's importance, the boy's heroism. He ranted about giving Bobby his Shellcell, before lifting the child up so he could reach the ladder and escape the Piper's tomb. Which meant Bobby was the one who must have lured his brothers to him. T hey all looked at one another, in confusion this time. For they knew who really had Donnie's Shellcell…… No one.

"Emmm Donnie...?" Mikey said gently. The small turtle once again found himself at a loss for any smart ass remarks. He thought back to the phone signal, and then looked to his broken brother. Mikey bit his lip. He knew that nothing was going to lift this atmosphere. For if someone had been holding that transmitter there were many many times that he would have seen the person right in front of him. He didn't tell Leo or Raph at the time, but sometimes the signal was almost in front of their faces as they ran. To Mikey Don's tracker was as easy to work as playing video games... He was so sure he had been using it right. "Donnie we did track the phone. That's how we found you. But the, t-the signal leading us through the sewers was just a few feet away... and... and the ladder was broken... if he came back for you, how did...?" The younger brother didn't finish, but only shook his head as the obvious question was lost on him.

"But he was with ME! If you didn't find him then he is still there... in the cave in... oh god!" for a horrible moment Donnie forgot he was injured and tried to stand, but his body was quick to remind him that wasn't going to happen. The moment he put weight onto his ankle Donnie found himself stumbling over. However before he even had the chance to fall onto his shell, Donnie was surrounded and propped up by his brothers. They held him carefully, but securely. Donnie looked around at the barely concealed masks of terror on his brother's faces. The thought of losing him again had the boys gripping tighter than they would have even in grappling practice. All of it screamed that Donnie didn't have a hope or prayer of going anywhere. Maybe never again without them. So the four of them squatted on the cold floor at the foot of the bed. With three of them crouching down on their heels, and the third sitting limply in their arms.

"There was no one there Don. I swear... The tunnel was collapsing. You were the only person we dug out. We wouldn't have left anyone behind if we had seen them." Leo tried to reassure him, but the look of fear and doubt radiating from his little brother's expression had him frantically thinking back. Could there have been someone else buried in the rubble besides their brother..? Donnie said the boy was right next to him... It was dark when they first arrived... Could they really have missed him...? No! No one called out, and the space was so narrow it would have been impossible to miss another body without tripping over it.

"But if he knew about us, why didn't he just call to us in person when we were following him through the tunnel? What was with the follow the breadcrumbs game?" Raph questioned, but Donnie didn't seem to have an answer for it.

"You don't believe me?" Donnie looked at his eldest brother with an expression that Leo knew he only had a few moments to rectify. There was no question that the smart turtle was telling the truth. Although they did not understand what had taken place, they had seen enough to not doubt Donnie's word or even his sanity this time.

Determined Leo patted Donnie's arm from the awkward angle he was in in order to keep most of his upper body weight safely against Donnie's plated plastron. "Yes Donnie we do believe you. It was child's voice... Bobby called us on the phone, told us to keep going when we were looking for you. That was just before we were attacked by those... phantom, shadow people..." Leo couldn't repress a shiver at the memory of them.

He would always remember that starry eyed little girl asking to pass on her thanks to their purple clad brother, for what he wasn't sure yet. His brother might have been brave, but that cute little girl still died. Alone and chained to a wall.

"He led us right to you." Leo continued, swallowing every lump in his throat that even remotely resembled a dead child. "We would never have found you otherwise. But he wasn't there when we arrived. I swear on my honour." Leo slid his hand down his brother's arm as a form of comfort. But tension still remained in Donnie's posture, in his face, in his red-brown eyes.

The red colouring of the iris grew more prominent as another realization hit him. If the boy had been left in the tunnel there was no way he could have survived after the rest of the street had come down... At that thought Donnie once again tried to pull himself free from his brother's grip, but was overcome with such pain that he could barely hold himself up. Even if he had a crutch for his leg, his shoulders wouldn't be able to hold him without popping stitches.

"Oh no you don't. You're not going anywhere. You're not in any fit state to go anywhere! And there is nowhere left to go back to anyway, do you hear me!?" Raph, always one to make his points abundantly clear, stepped away and behind his taller brother's shell, making sure not to touch his arms. He wrapped his stronger arms around Donnie's middle and hoisted him slightly off the ground so he couldn't attempt to walk away from them. Meanwhile Leo and Mikey stood in front, gently but firmly pushing Donnie back into Raph's grip. Their expression said there was no room for argument. He wasn't going back.

"Raph put me down! I can't just leave him-" Donnie protested.

"Donnie don't panic. Maybe he found another way out before we got there?" Mikey suggested, trying to help. "We heard sirens. People up top would have notice the road caving in."

"There wasn't any other way out Mikey." Donnie snapped still panicked. "Don't you get it guys? He was calling me right from the start. From the moment I hit my head and remembered what happened ten years ago I was supposed to save him. Those injuries I got, they weren't mine, they were his! It was always him because I was the only one who had gotten away. I was the only one who knew where they were. I was the only one who could set them all free. Bobby was still alive. I went down there to save him and... then I lost him...How could I lose him!?"

"Well this is just a guess bro but maybe you blinked a little too long when a freaking street fell on your head and you were bleeding to death with two bloody holes in your arms?! Obviously you were just too busy trying not to die!" Raph snapped his tone soaked in sarcasm.

"Donnie..." Leo tried to sound a little bit more sympathetic than his hot-headed brother. But it was hard through the uncharacteristically lack of logic in Donnie's reasoning. "How could he even do that? Don he was a human kid. How could he contact you that way? Unless he was telepathic like April or something?"

"I don't know..." he said quite honestly. "That would explain a lot... But, no I think it was the music. The pipe! That's what was telepathic. It hypnotised you. That was how he imprisoned us... We were linked. I think Bobby was reaching out to me when we were under the power of the Piper again... I'm not making any sense am I?"

"No bro you're really not." Mikey admitted.

"But who's to say it was Bobby at all. With the phone I mean. Could have been one of those other ghost kids we saw. That would make a lot more sense... Well I use that term ' sense ,' loosely." Raph grumbled. He was doing his absolute best to understand this. Not because he wanted to, but as long as it kept his brother from doing anything stupid, again, than he would solve this mystery and be as curious as Donnie wants him to be. After all, stupid was his department not Don's.

"Or maybe there are just something's we are not supposed to understand, and that's ok." Leo added.

"How can it be ok? I most likely just let another child die?" Donnie almost sobbed as he spoke. "He asked me for help and I let him down." At this Donnie finally gave up on ever being able to get loose from his brothers, and instead hung his head in shame. When he felt the despair fall on him, he hadn't expected his body to follow. Raph, seeing his brother's distressed and his body flop, carefully lowered him back to the floor as they all kneeled with him.

"Donnie it wasn't your fault." Leo tried to comfort. "You've uncovered the disappearance of so many missing children. You stopped a child killer. Just think about how many more you saved."

"But I still failed Bobby. I had him and then I lost him." Donnie shook his head and a lingering silence stretched out, but he wasn't allowed to wallow in guilt too long.

Mikey's curiosity was still getting the better of him.

"Wait... You said Bobby kept telling you to call out to us right? How could he talk to you with no air? If he could breathe, why didn't he just call to us for you instead? Why would he just leave your side?"

The turtle looked up at his little brother. Actually that was a good point. Now that he thought about it, if Bobby had enough breath to talk to him, why didn't he just call for help? The child wasn't scared of him, why would he be scared of his brothers? Why had he kept vanishing and reappearing without the aid of the ladder... At the time Donnie had been so concerned about fighting the Piper none of that had seemed important. As these questions started to fill his mind everything else just seemed to drift away. He thought about what Bobby had whispered in his ear while they laid under the rubble.

"There was one left." Donnie suddenly whispered. His brothers looked up at him. "In some versions of the story they said the last boy was crippled... or deformed." Donnie said feeling the pain shoot up his leg. "He couldn't keep up with the other children as the Piper lured them away... But he wasn't left behind. He was the only one to escape... The story was wrong... He would be the only one left to come back one day and save them..." The turtle said finally relaying what Bobby had told him before he had lost consciousness. A lot of pieces of this puzzle were falling into place, just not many and not in any order.

"What are you talking about Don? What story?" The brothers automatically moved closer. Leo said patting Donnie's comforter. He was being careful to keep his voice calm. Ignoring Leo Donnie continued his train of thought, keeping his words simple and to the point. Simple for him anyway. "It's just... I don't think this story is going to make sense to any of you." The genius smiled a little but there was no happiness in it.

"Gee Don after all the aliens we met and time travel we go through on a weekly bases, that is really saying something." Raph sniffed, unable to hold back a tad bit of indignation from his tone. "How about you just try us and we'll go from there?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Donnie said taking a deep breath. "Fairy tales stories are just stories that have covered up a bigger picture for what is really going on. There are other things that created this... Some people call them demons or ghosts, whatever the forces are between good and evil, they're real and they are everywhere... Humans are just what's stuck in the middle dividing them. Humans decide which way they want to go upon death... but some... They want to stay right where they are. The Pied Piper was real, he had just been around for so many centuries he became a story. He was human in the beginning... But he didn't want to die. So he made a deal with the... darker forces. Children lives in return for his own. 'They' gave him the pipe. He had taken so many children over the centuries. Every hundred years or so he would just move to another part of the world to lure a new child away. The Pipe was the key to the prison, and the weapon... Tricking the children to live in a world that wasn't real, but the music would soon consume them and he would take the children's souls to feed on. Every one of those kids would eventually turn into one of the dark shadows. Following the music was all the happiness they had left, even if it was all a lie..." Better to live a lie than know reality... the Pipers words played in Donnie's head. He gulped and the colour drained from him as forced himself to finish. "Robert... had sold his soul to something darker in return for immortality."

"Next you'll be saying there really is a witch and a ginger bread house luring the kids inside with candy?" Raph said sarcastically.

However the other two brothers were a little lost on how to respond to Donnie's explanation. Maybe it's because the whole things sounded absolutely mad!

….But it did explain some of what they had seen... But no, this was starting to get too close to pushing the boundaries of sanity. And besides, Mikey had a better question.

"And... how did you find this out, exactly?" Mikey asked, looking an even paler shade of green.

"It was the pipe. When I made physical contact with it... it told me. I grabbed it from the Pip….from Robert. And when I did it was like I could see all of Robert's history. I think in a twisted way it was the pipe's way of trying to convince me to make a contract. Too bad it's too much of a sick evil piece of metal to actually come up with a proper selling pitch. I didn't feel bad destroying that pipe, and when I destroyed it and …. killed the Piper... its destruction set the children spirits free." Donnie smiled, at least a little as he said this last bit. For if nothing else, destroying that pipe was something he didn't screw up.

"Oh...right. Well that is a relief I must say Donnie, because you know, for a while there, we were worried that you had hit your head a bit too hard." The orange clad turtle nodded with the most comforting cheesy Mikey smile he had ever made in his life, the pure amount pressure put into the usually kind expression made the poor turtle also look like he wanted to throw up!

But Leo truly was entranced by the explanation. Finding ways to connect and inspect parts of Donnie's explanation to what he witnessed, 'So that's what had happened when the shadows had transformed back into children. Donnie had destroyed the pipe and the man and lifted the spell. But that still didn't explain where Bobby had gone?'

"My sons." Splinter had appeared at the dojo doors, abruptly interrupting Leo's musing. His expression could only be described as ... sad. "I think you should come and see this." His eyes fixed on Donatello as he gestured to the TV room. Carefully they helped their brother onto his one good foot, but just as they made it to the door Donnie became frozen as though something unpleasant was waiting in the other room for him.

"Don... you ok?"

"I just have this strange feeling and I can't really explain it, but I just know once I step out of here, it's going to be all over. I'm coming to the end of this story and I can finally close this book..."

"Well that's good isn't it?" Mikey asked as he tried as discreetly as possibly to help hold his brother up by slipping his hand underneath Donnie's shell edge near his thigh and lifting.

"It's been 10 years. I don't know if I'm ready." The genius took a deep breath before putting his good foot forward, indicating that he was going anyway. Leo nodded. No more fairy tales. It was time to know the truth.

 **To be continued...**

 **End notes:**

 **Okay I hope I can update the new chapter on next week. And sorry for the delay. You must be waiting for new chapter.**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story**.

 **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story**.

 **Bye bye for now**.

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**


	21. Chapter 20

**Author notes:**

 **Hi guys! I hate to say this. But, this is last chapter. Thanks for my co-written, Glazier Blue and our amazing beta and proofer reader, XxTurtletracerxX. Without them, I couldn't have done this. And thank you guys for all your support.**

 **And thanks again for review/favourite/follow my story. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that.** **Hope you like it :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TMNT OR ANY CHARACTERS**

 **With Love and Hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**

Chapter 20: Goodbye

Donnie was placed down on the couch cushions and the brothers settled themselves beside him. Mikey silently turned up the volume on the TV. Right away they knew what they were watching. The reporter was almost lost among the police cars and flashing camera's as the bright yellow tape held back the mass of people. Firemen climbed out the large hole carrying small body bags...

"Yes Trevor this maybe the biggest story uncovered this decade. The emergency services have been working all night to find why approximately 20 feet of the main road collapsed. Thankfully no one was injured, but it was while securing the area did they make the most terrible discovery..." The reporter looked as though she was trying to swallow a nasty taste in her mouth. "Not only have they uncovered the remains of the missing children from this area but Police believe they may have uncovered every unsolved missing child case in New York City. Though not all have been identified as of yet '42' remains so far have been uncovered from the underground sewer tunnel that went out of use over 50 years ago. As some of the remains indicate, they have been down here much longer than just the last ten years." The young reporter said this last part with an even grimmer expression, her skin colour now resembling something more like white chalk. "The remains of an ADULT male was also found not too long ago." The camera then went to an ambulance just feet away from the reporter. At this the four brothers went stiff as the plastic cover was wheeled into the back of the van. "Unbelievably the man was identified as Robert B Grim. A suspect for the disappearances at the time. A large man hunt was conducted many years ago after he vanished from police custody. This is believed to actually be his hiding place from the authorities and his hiding place for his victims."

A growl came from Raph as the turtle brothers glared at the screen. Their eyes finally fell upon the old snap shot of the Piper from back when he was in police custody. The cold black eyes sent a chill down their shells, and they couldn't help but huddled that bit closer to their smart brother. Still all three of them also felt a small sense of pride for Donnie underneath all their nerves. Being in the hands of such a monster, Donnie must have truly faced his fears to beat such a man. The four of them barely paid attention to the other half of the interview as the horror story unfolded. There was no point in listening. For there was no more news on Bobby James.

"Mr. B. Grims death was only placed roughly 20 hours ago. Medics confirm that his death was not the result of the cave in, but from heart failure and serious burns. Curiously the body was found holding some large metallic instrument...? Though this does add more mystery, it may also have been what killed the man. For forensic have all but confirmed that the wanted man met his end simply at the hands of some dangerous faulty wiring." She continued talking, clueless to the gob smacked turtle's watching her as their brother's story unfolded.

"Donatello." Feeling incredibly sick, Donnie silently looked around to his father's comforting form, standing behind the couch. "Somebody here wishes to speak to you." He smiled.

Again the media woman looked to be struggling as she continued reading her report. "It has also just been confirmed that the remains of the most recent missing child, Bobby James was also found imprisoned in the tunnel."

"Oh know." Leo quickly sat up at the news report. "No!"

"We did miss him." Mikey gasped as he felt panic overwhelm him. His mind worked furiously overtime as he tried to picture how they could have missed the boy back at the tunnel. Had someone else just been right there beside them when they were rescuing Donnie? There had been a presence, of that he was sure. But nobody was actually around. A familiar feeling of horror cut through the silence of the lair like a well-honed blade. Even their hot-headed brother buried his face in his hands at what they had done. How could their senses have been so off?! They had known somebody else was there. Whoever had led them to Donnie in the first place must have been around somewhere... Even with the structure tumbling down around them, how could they not have taken more time to - ?

"The boy was found 'chained' up in one of the cells, just as all the others had been. Multiple injuries were visible, but the coroner confirms that he passed away within the first few hours of his abduction... Police has set into motion a full investigation, as it is still unclear as to 'why' the sewer collapsed after so many years. But at least for now it would seem that R. B. Grim's reign of terror is over, and his victims can finally be laid to rest. Our thoughts will be with each of the families. Back to you Trevor."

The report then swiftly moved on, leaving some very stun turtles behind.

"But how did... If he was …. But we heard him!?" Mikey said shaking his head. The last bit of anything reasonable in his brain seemed to have been stripped away. They all looked at one another before looking around dumbfounded at Donnie, only to find him... gone?

"Donnie?" All the brothers were suddenly up on their feet as though they had just received an electric shock. Frantically they looked about the lair. Donnie couldn't have just got up and walked out in his state, and definitely not so silently. Where the hell had he got to now??

"I'm going to tie him to the freaking chair!" Raph yelled, not at all able to keep the new wave of panic from his voice.

"It is quite alright my son's." The rat master said. He re-entered the living area from outside the lair. "Your brother is just saying good bye. We all know to who." Splinter's ears flattened and his expression was indeed empathetic as he gestured for his son's to follow. He led them to the curve in the wall right before one exited the Lair. As they peeked around the corner they saw Donnie, balancing on one leg, a little ways down the tunnel from the lair entrance. He appeared to be talking to someone. Someone quite a bit smaller than him.

Donnie's shell was blocking their view from seeing the boy completely, but they didn't need too. Raph looked away first, not really knowing what to do with himself or how to feel about it. This was emotional heavy stuff and for once he was glad he wasn't in Donnie's place. He wouldn't be able to handle saying goodbye after all they had been through. Mikey on the other hand couldn't pry his eyes away from the scene. But dutifully tried to wipe away the tears before Donnie returned to them. Leo however just smiled. He understood now. Donnie may not have been able to get to Bobby in time to save his life. But it wasn't in life that Bobby had ever been able to reach him. Donnie had saved his spirit, before he had drowned in the darkness and the Piper had stripped him away until he was nothing but an empty soulless shadow creature.

They couldn't quite hear what either were saying, but they didn't need to. The only audible words to reach them was "Thank you Donatello. I can go home now." then the sound of laugher soon faded away into the darkness of the tunnel and Donnie was left standing alone. Finally when Donnie looked back at them there were tears in his eyes but otherwise he looked alright. The brothers quickly made their way over to him.

"You ok bro?" Leo asked reaching him first.

"End of the story." Donnie smiled sadly, but he was finally free. Once again the purple clad turtle found himself sandwiched between his brothers. His hell was finally over.

"And they all lived happily ever after..." Mikey half choked half chuckled. His joyful muffled voice penetrated through the mass of hugs. "Although there is still one thing I don't understand... What brought down the sewer after all those years?"

"Oh... yeah... about that..." Both Leo and Raph simultaneously looked up to see a truly guilty expression plastered over there little brother's face. "I can explain everything!" Donatello voice was a little high and nervous for there liking, and he now had a smile that was more befitting to Mikey when he broke the games CONSEL.

"And in this part of the fairy tale do we get to see your nose grow?" Raphael laughed suddenly sweeping his brother up carrying him back to the lair before he attempted to make another escape.

The end...

 **End notes:**

 **So, this is the end guys. I really hate that the story is end. But after all, this is happy ending.**

 **Sorry if I had make mistakes for writing this story**

 **Please take your time for read/ reviewing/favourite/follow this story**

 **Bye bye for now**

 **With Love and hugs,**

 **Hyuna ;)**


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